Time to Start the Garden

Guidance on Frost Dates, When to Start Seeds, and When to Transplant

I started receiving my seed catalogs in the mail in February. On one snow day I found myself curled up on the couch with a blanket, a hot cup of tea, and my catalogs, daydreaming about a warmer spring and hands dirty from digging in the dirt. It was a nice dream. 

Since I don’t have enough space to set up an indoor grow area, I will purchase healthy seedlings from the farmers’ markets and local nurseries for anything I plan to plant. My friend, Patti, starts her garden from seeds she has obtained from her last harvest. Earlier in the month we had a seed planting party at her house. We all got our hands dirty. Growing from seed is quite an involved process and a labor of love, with gentle watering and misting on a regular schedule. The plants have slowly been emerging from the soil and will be ready to plant once the risk of frosts has passed. 

The Farmer’s Almanac has calculated that May 5th is the approximate date of the last spring frost in Greater Portland, Maine. 

A frost date is the average date of the last light freeze in spring or the first light freeze in fall. The classification of freeze temperatures is based on their effect on plants: 

Light freeze: 29° to 32°F (1.7° to 0°C) — tender plants are killed. 

Moderate freeze: 25° to 28°F (3.9° to -2.2°C) — widely destructive to most vegetation. 

Severe freeze: 24°F (-4.4°C) and colder — heavy damage to most garden plants. 

Note that frost dates are only an estimate based on historical climate data and are not set in stone. The probability of a frost occurring after the spring frost date is 30%, which means that there is still a chance of frost occurring after the given dates! My seedlings from the farmers market will be in the ground AFTER Memorial Weekend. 

During the pandemic, there was a significant increase in home gardens being grown. My hope is that this trend continues in not only growing your own food, but having your own Farm to Table experience. It’s Springtime heading into Summer. As the slogan says Plant Something! Plant Maine! So how does your garden grow?

Handy Resources:

For information about when to start your seeds, please check out this planting guide.

Once your seedlings are ready, then it’s time to plant. The University of Maine Cooperative Extension offers a useful chart on how and when to transplant your young plants.