Buckley, MI planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 5b−15 to −10 °F
- Last frost
- May 12avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Oct 16avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 155days
Buckley, Michigan is in USDA plant hardiness zone 5b. Its average last spring frost is around May 12 and the first fall frost around October 16, giving a growing season of about 155 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.
Buckley planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Buckley'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 17 – Mar 31 | May 19 – May 26 | Jul 18 – Aug 7 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Mar 3 – Mar 17 | May 26 – Jun 2 | Jul 25 – Aug 24 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | Apr 14 – Apr 21 | May 19 – May 26 | Jul 8 – Jul 28 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | May 19 – May 26 | Jul 3 – Jul 18 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | May 19 – May 26 | Jul 8 – Jul 18 | Aug 17 – Aug 27 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | May 12 – May 26 | Jul 11 – Aug 10 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Mar 31 – Apr 14 | May 19 – May 26 | Jun 18 – Jul 3 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Mar 31 – Apr 14 | Apr 14 – Apr 28 | May 29 – Jun 13 | Aug 3 – Aug 18 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Mar 31 – Apr 14 | May 25 – Jun 9 | Jul 24 – Aug 8 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Mar 31 – Apr 14 | May 10 – May 20 | Aug 13 – Aug 23 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Apr 21 – Apr 28 | Jun 20 – Jul 10 | Jul 14 – Aug 3 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Mar 17 – Mar 31 | Apr 14 – Apr 28 | Jun 8 – Jun 28 | Jul 19 – Aug 8 |
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 USW00014850. 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 25 | Jun 5 | Oct 2 | Oct 16 | 130 |
| 32°F (freeze) | May 12 | May 27 | Oct 16 | Nov 1 | 155 |
| 28°F | Apr 30 | May 16 | Oct 30 | Nov 13 | 182 |
| 24°F | Apr 17 | May 3 | Nov 12 | Nov 29 | 209 |
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) | 2,441 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 4,368 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 5b
Buckley 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 Buckley?
- Buckley, Michigan 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 Buckley?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around May 12, 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 27, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Buckley?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around October 16. That leaves a growing season of about 155 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Buckley?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Mar 17 – Mar 31 and transplant them outside about May 19 – May 26, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around Jul 18 – Aug 7.
- How long is the growing season in Buckley?
- About 155 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~May 12) and the average first fall frost (~October 16). 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 USW00014850 (Traverse City Cherry Cptl Ap, 10.6 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.