Hampton Bays, NY planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 7a0 to 5 °F
- Last frost
- May 7avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Oct 14avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 160days
Hampton Bays, New York is in USDA plant hardiness zone 7a. Its average last spring frost is around May 7 and the first fall frost around October 14, giving a growing season of about 160 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.
Hampton Bays planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Hampton Bays'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 12 – Mar 26 | May 14 – May 21 | Jul 13 – Aug 2 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | May 21 – May 28 | Jul 20 – Aug 19 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | Apr 9 – Apr 16 | May 14 – May 21 | Jul 3 – Jul 23 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | May 14 – May 21 | Jun 28 – Jul 13 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | May 14 – May 21 | Jul 3 – Jul 13 | Aug 15 – Aug 25 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | May 7 – May 21 | Jul 6 – Aug 5 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Mar 26 – Apr 9 | May 14 – May 21 | Jun 13 – Jun 28 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Mar 26 – Apr 9 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | May 24 – Jun 8 | Aug 1 – Aug 16 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Mar 26 – Apr 9 | May 20 – Jun 4 | Jul 22 – Aug 6 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Mar 26 – Apr 9 | May 5 – May 15 | Aug 11 – Aug 21 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Apr 16 – Apr 23 | Jun 15 – Jul 5 | Jul 12 – Aug 1 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Mar 12 – Mar 26 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | Jun 3 – Jun 23 | Jul 17 – Aug 6 |
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 USW00014719. 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 20 | Jun 2 | Oct 4 | Oct 16 | 137 |
| 32°F (freeze) | May 7 | May 23 | Oct 14 | Oct 31 | 160 |
| 28°F | Apr 27 | May 12 | Oct 26 | Nov 9 | 184 |
| 24°F | Apr 12 | Apr 28 | Nov 5 | Nov 22 | 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) | 2,648 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 4,842 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 7a
Hampton Bays sits in USDA plant hardiness zone 7a on the 2023 map — meaning its average annual extreme minimum winter temperature is about 0 to 5 °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 7a, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What USDA hardiness zone is Hampton Bays?
- Hampton Bays, New York is in USDA plant hardiness zone 7a on the 2023 map (average annual extreme minimum temperature 0 to 5 °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 Hampton Bays?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around May 7, 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 23, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Hampton Bays?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around October 14. That leaves a growing season of about 160 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Hampton Bays?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Mar 12 – Mar 26 and transplant them outside about May 14 – May 21, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around Jul 13 – Aug 2.
- How long is the growing season in Hampton Bays?
- About 160 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~May 7) and the average first fall frost (~October 14). 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 USW00014719 (Westhamptn Gabreski Ap, 2 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.