Gardiner, ME planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 5b−15 to −10 °F
- Last frost
- May 1avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Oct 11avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 163days
Gardiner, Maine is in USDA plant hardiness zone 5b. Its average last spring frost is around May 1 and the first fall frost around October 11, giving a growing season of about 163 days (NOAA 1991–2020 normals, 32°F, median). Start tender crops like tomatoes and peppers indoors weeks before the last frost and set them out afterward; sow hardy crops such as peas, spinach, and lettuce before it. The planner below turns those frost dates into a printable per-crop planting calendar.
Gardiner planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Gardiner's average frost dates. hatched = start seeds indoors, solid green = plant out, teal = a fall sowing, and the terracotta dot marks the estimated first harvest. Ranges are extension-guide planning guidance, not guarantees.
- Start indoors
- Plant out
- Fall sowing
- First harvest
| Crop | Frost tolerance | Start indoors | Plant out | First harvest | Fall planting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Tender | Mar 6 – Mar 20 | May 8 – May 15 | Jul 7 – Jul 27 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Feb 20 – Mar 6 | May 15 – May 22 | Jul 14 – Aug 13 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | Apr 3 – Apr 10 | May 8 – May 15 | Jun 27 – Jul 17 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | May 8 – May 15 | Jun 22 – Jul 7 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | May 8 – May 15 | Jun 27 – Jul 7 | Aug 12 – Aug 22 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | May 1 – May 15 | Jun 30 – Jul 30 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Mar 20 – Apr 3 | May 8 – May 15 | Jun 7 – Jun 22 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Mar 20 – Apr 3 | Apr 3 – Apr 17 | May 18 – Jun 2 | Jul 29 – Aug 13 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Mar 20 – Apr 3 | May 14 – May 29 | Jul 19 – Aug 3 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Mar 20 – Apr 3 | Apr 29 – May 9 | Aug 8 – Aug 18 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Apr 10 – Apr 17 | Jun 9 – Jun 29 | Jul 9 – Jul 29 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Mar 6 – Mar 20 | Apr 3 – Apr 17 | May 28 – Jun 17 | Jul 14 – Aug 3 |
Data: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (public domain) and USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Planting windows synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides.
Frost & freeze dates
From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USC00173046. The median (p50) is the average date; the 90%-safe column is the date the freeze has passed in about 9 years out of 10 (p10 for spring, p90 for fall) — the conservative date to plant after or harvest before.
| Threshold | Last spring — avg | Last spring — 90%-safe | First fall — avg | First fall — 90%-safe | Season (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 14 | May 27 | Oct 1 | Oct 13 | 141 |
| 32°F (freeze) | May 1 | May 14 | Oct 11 | Oct 28 | 163 |
| 28°F | Apr 19 | Apr 30 | Oct 25 | Nov 8 | 189 |
| 24°F | Apr 8 | Apr 20 | Nov 6 | Nov 20 | 212 |
32°F is the standard "freeze" line that damages tender crops; lighter 36°F frost can nip the most cold-sensitive plants, while hardy crops shrug off light frost down toward 28°F. Use the threshold that matches what you are protecting.
Growing degree days
Growing degree days (GDD) accumulate warmth above a base temperature over the year — a better predictor of crop development than the calendar alone. Warm-season crops need a long, warm GDD total; a short, cool GDD total favors greens and brassicas.
| Model | °F·days | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Base 50°F (warm-season) | 2,276 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 4,203 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 5b
Gardiner sits in USDA plant hardiness zone 5b on the 2023 map — meaning its average annual extreme minimum winter temperature is about −15 to −10 °F. That number tells you which perennials, shrubs, and trees reliably survive an average winter here; it does not set your planting dates, which come from the frost calendar above.
Explore more places in zone 5b, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What USDA hardiness zone is Gardiner?
- Gardiner, Maine is in USDA plant hardiness zone 5b on the 2023 map (average annual extreme minimum temperature −15 to −10 °F) — from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. See the methodology page for sources.
- When is the last frost in Gardiner?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around May 1, from NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals at the nearest reporting station. Roughly one year in ten the last frost is as late as May 14, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Gardiner?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around October 11. That leaves a growing season of about 163 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Gardiner?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Mar 6 – Mar 20 and transplant them outside about May 8 – May 15, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around Jul 7 – Jul 27.
- How long is the growing season in Gardiner?
- About 163 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~May 1) and the average first fall frost (~October 11). Cold-hardy crops extend usable time at both ends; frost-tender crops fit inside it.
Sources & method
Frost, freeze, growing-season, and growing-degree-day figures are NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 for station USC00173046 (Gardiner, 2.8 km away). The hardiness zone is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. Planting windows are computed by counting from the average last and first frost using per-crop offsets synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides — the full method and citations are on the methodology page.