What does USDA hardiness zone 5b mean in Vermont?

Zone 5b means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of −15 to −10 °F — the standard USDA measure of which perennials survive winter. 7 locations in Vermont fall in this zone. It does not set planting dates; see the frost calendar below for that.

Where in Vermont's zone 5b is the growing season longest?

Burlington runs the longest season on this page at about 174 days; North Clarendon is shortest at about 132 days — they share the same hardiness zone, but they sit at different weather stations, so their frost calendars differ.

When should I plant tomatoes in Vermont's zone 5b?

Using Bennington's frost dates (this page's median-season location): start seeds indoors about Mar 16 – Mar 30, then transplant outside about May 18 – May 25. Your own location in the table above may differ by a week or two — use the ZIP planner on the home page for your exact station's dates.

Does every location in Vermont's zone 5b have the same frost dates?

No — they do not all share a weather station, so frost dates vary by a week or more across the 7 locations listed (see the table above for each location's own dates).

USDA zone 5b in Vermont

−15 to −10 °F avg. annual extreme minimum · 7 locations in this group · NOAA 1991–2020 normals

USDA plant hardiness zone 5b covers 7 locations across Vermont (average annual extreme minimum −15 to −10 °F): Bennington, VT, Burlington, VT, Burlington, VT, Manchester, VT, North Clarendon, VT, Springfield, VT, and 1 more. Average last spring frost across this group ranges April 28 (Burlington) to May 15 (North Clarendon), and growing seasons run 132–174 days (North Clarendon to Burlington) — even within one state, because hardiness sets winter survival, not planting dates. The table below gives every Vermont location's own frost dates; the printable planting calendar uses Bennington, this group's median-season location.

USDA zone: 5b−15 to −10 °F
Last frost range: Apr 28–May 15avg, 32°F
First frost range: Sep 27–Oct 20avg, 32°F
Growing season range: 132–174days

Locations in this group

Every location below shares this zone and a nearby weather station, but keeps its own frost dates — find your town for its own numbers, or use the ZIP planner on the home page for an instant personalized answer.

Own frost dates per location.
Location	Also covers	Nearest station	Last frost	First frost	Season (days)
Bennington *	Salem, North Bennington, Cambridge, Hoosick Falls, North Pownal, Valley Falls, +1 more	Bennington Morse St Ap	May 11	Oct 2	143
Burlington	Shelburne	Burlington Intl Ap	Apr 29	Oct 15	169
Burlington	South Hero	S Hero	Apr 28	Oct 20	174
Manchester	—	Sunderland 2	May 13	Sep 29	137
North Clarendon	—	Rutland	May 15	Sep 27	132
Springfield	Ascutney, Chester, Ludlow, North Springfield, Charlestown, South Woodstock, +4 more	Springfield Hartness Ap	May 13	Oct 3	143
Windsor	South Woodstock	Woodstock	May 13	Oct 1	141

* Bennington is this group's median-season location — the calendar below is computed from its data.

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.

Planting calendar (Bennington, representative)

Computed from Bennington's average frost dates — the median-season location in this Vermontzone 5b group. 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 — your own location's dates may run a week or two earlier or later (see the table above).

Crop

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Tomato

Pepper

Cucumber

Summer squash / zucchini

Start indoors
Plant out
Fall sowing
First harvest

Planting windows for Bennington (Vermont, zone 5b), this group's representative location.
Crop	Frost tolerance	Start indoors	Plant out	First harvest	Fall planting	Season fit
Tomato	Tender	Mar 16 – Mar 30	May 18 – May 25	Jul 17 – Aug 6	—	matures comfortably
Pepper	Very tender	Mar 2 – Mar 16	May 25 – Jun 1	Jul 24 – Aug 23	—	matures comfortably
Cucumber	Tender	Apr 13 – Apr 20	May 18 – May 25	Jul 7 – Jul 27	—	matures comfortably
Summer squash / zucchini	Tender	—	May 18 – May 25	Jul 2 – Jul 17	—	matures comfortably
Bush bean	Tender	—	May 18 – May 25	Jul 7 – Jul 17	Aug 3 – Aug 13	matures comfortably
Sweet corn	Tender	—	May 11 – May 25	Jul 10 – Aug 9	—	matures comfortably
Basil	Very tender	Mar 30 – Apr 13	May 18 – May 25	Jun 17 – Jul 2	—	matures comfortably
Lettuce	Half-hardy	Mar 30 – Apr 13	Apr 13 – Apr 27	May 28 – Jun 12	Jul 20 – Aug 4	matures comfortably
Pea	Hardy	—	Mar 30 – Apr 13	May 24 – Jun 8	Jul 10 – Jul 25	matures comfortably
Spinach	Hardy	—	Mar 30 – Apr 13	May 9 – May 19	Jul 30 – Aug 9	matures comfortably
Carrot	Half-hardy	—	Apr 20 – Apr 27	Jun 19 – Jul 9	Jun 30 – Jul 20	matures comfortably
Broccoli	Half-hardy	Mar 16 – Mar 30	Apr 13 – Apr 27	Jun 7 – Jun 27	Jul 5 – Jul 25	matures comfortably

Which crops fit this growing season

Using Bennington's own 143-day growing season (32°F, NOAA 1991–2020 median) against each crop's real days-to-maturity range: 12 of 12 crops mature here with comfortable margin. A different location in the table above with a longer or shorter season will get a different mix — the ZIP planner on the home page gives your own.

Frost & freeze dates (Bennington)

From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USW00054781. 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 — the conservative date to plant after or harvest before.

Freeze probabilities by temperature threshold (MM/DD, NOAA 1991–2020), Bennington.
Threshold	Last spring — avg	Last spring — 90%-safe	First fall — avg	First fall — 90%-safe	Season (days)
36°F	May 24	Jun 7	Sep 22	Oct 3	120
32°F (freeze)	May 11	May 28	Oct 2	Oct 17	143
28°F	Apr 29	May 15	Oct 14	Nov 1	169
24°F	Apr 13	May 1	Oct 28	Nov 13	197

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. This group's median GDD (base 50°F) across all 7 locations is 2,230; Bennington's own reading is shown below.

Annual growing degree days for Bennington (°F·days, NOAA 1991–2020).
Model	°F·days	Used for
Base 50°F (warm-season)	2,257	standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans)
Base 40°F (cool-season)	4,259	cool-season crops (brassicas, greens)

Hardiness zone 5b in Vermont

Zone 5b means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of about −15 to −10 °F on the USDA's 2023 map — the number that 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. Vermont spans 4 hardiness zones in this dataset — see all Vermont locations for the full range, including zones4a, 4b, 5a.

Explore zone 5b in other states at zone 5b, or see all USDA hardiness zones.

Frequently asked questions

What does USDA hardiness zone 5b mean in Vermont?: Zone 5b means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of −15 to −10 °F — the standard USDA measure of which perennials survive winter. 7 locations in Vermont fall in this zone. It does not set planting dates; see the frost calendar below for that.
Where in Vermont's zone 5b is the growing season longest?: Burlington runs the longest season on this page at about 174 days; North Clarendon is shortest at about 132 days — they share the same hardiness zone, but they sit at different weather stations, so their frost calendars differ.
When should I plant tomatoes in Vermont's zone 5b?: Using Bennington's frost dates (this page's median-season location): start seeds indoors about Mar 16 – Mar 30, then transplant outside about May 18 – May 25. Your own location in the table above may differ by a week or two — use the ZIP planner on the home page for your exact station's dates.
Does every location in Vermont's zone 5b have the same frost dates?: No — they do not all share a weather station, so frost dates vary by a week or more across the 7 locations listed (see the table above for each location's own dates).

Sources & method

Frost, freeze, growing-season, and growing-degree-day figures are NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, one reading per location's own nearest station (see the table above). The hardiness zone is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to each 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.