Sutton, VT planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 4b−25 to −20 °F
- Last frost
- Jun 1avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Sep 13avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 103days
Sutton, Vermont is in USDA plant hardiness zone 4b. Its average last spring frost is around June 1 and the first fall frost around September 13, giving a growing season of about 103 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.
Sutton planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Sutton'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 | Apr 6 – Apr 20 | Jun 8 – Jun 15 | Aug 7 – Aug 27 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | Jun 15 – Jun 22 | Aug 14 – Sep 13 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | May 4 – May 11 | Jun 8 – Jun 15 | Jul 28 – Aug 17 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Jun 8 – Jun 15 | Jul 23 – Aug 7 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Jun 8 – Jun 15 | Jul 28 – Aug 7 | Jul 15 – Jul 25 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Jun 1 – Jun 15 | Jul 31 – Aug 30 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 8 – Jun 15 | Jul 8 – Jul 23 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Apr 20 – May 4 | May 4 – May 18 | Jun 18 – Jul 3 | Jul 1 – Jul 16 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 14 – Jun 29 | Jun 21 – Jul 6 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Apr 20 – May 4 | May 30 – Jun 9 | Jul 11 – Jul 21 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | May 11 – May 18 | Jul 10 – Jul 30 | Jun 11 – Jul 1 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Apr 6 – Apr 20 | May 4 – May 18 | Jun 28 – Jul 18 | Jun 16 – Jul 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 USC00438172. 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 | Jun 12 | Jul 5 | Sep 1 | Sep 14 | 78 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Jun 1 | Jun 15 | Sep 13 | Sep 28 | 103 |
| 28°F | May 21 | Jun 4 | Sep 27 | Oct 10 | 127 |
| 24°F | May 6 | May 21 | Oct 7 | Oct 26 | 154 |
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) | 1,414 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 3,015 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 4b
Sutton sits in USDA plant hardiness zone 4b on the 2023 map — meaning its average annual extreme minimum winter temperature is about −25 to −20 °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 4b, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What USDA hardiness zone is Sutton?
- Sutton, Vermont is in USDA plant hardiness zone 4b on the 2023 map (average annual extreme minimum temperature −25 to −20 °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 Sutton?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around June 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 June 15, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Sutton?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around September 13. That leaves a growing season of about 103 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Sutton?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Apr 6 – Apr 20 and transplant them outside about Jun 8 – Jun 15, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around Aug 7 – Aug 27.
- How long is the growing season in Sutton?
- About 103 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~June 1) and the average first fall frost (~September 13). 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 USC00438172 (Sutton 2ne, 1 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.