Worcester, MA · zone 5b · ~177 frost-free days
When to plant in Worcester: frost dates and zone 5b.
In Worcester, the typical last spring frost lands around Apr 25 and the first fall frost around Oct 19, giving you about 177 frost-free days. Cool-season crops go out before the last frost; warm-season crops wait until after it.
The 2026 windows
Sow dates for Worcester, keyed to your frost.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring sow / set out | Fall sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicing | Mar 21 to May 21 | May 2 to Jul 2 | — |
| Lettuce, leaf | — | Mar 18 to May 2 | Aug 5 to Oct 4 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 18 to Apr 20 | Jul 24 to Aug 19 |
| Bush Bean | — | Apr 25 to Jun 15 | Jul 5 to Aug 7 |
| Cucumber, slicing | — | May 2 to Aug 1 | — |
| Pepper, bell | Mar 30 to May 21 | May 11 to Jul 2 | — |
| Kale | Feb 4 to Mar 4 | Mar 18 to Apr 15 | Jul 19 to Sep 3 |
| Spinach | — | Mar 4 to Apr 15 | Aug 5 to Sep 23 |
Worcester sits in Zone 5b, but two gardens in the same city can be a week or two apart. The planner works from your ZIP code's frost dates, not the zone, so the dates land right for your block, not the metro average.
Build your Worcester garden plan.
Tell the free planner what you want to eat and who you're feeding. It returns plant counts, spacing, and frost-safe sow dates for ZIP 01608 in about 60 seconds.
Worcester planting questions
What planting zone is Worcester, MA?+
Worcester is in USDA hardiness zone 5b. Growing zone, gardening zone, and planting zone all mean the same thing: the USDA number, 5b here. It tells you what survives winter, not when to plant. Frost dates set your planting time, and the free planner uses your exact ZIP code's frost dates, which can differ by weeks across one metro.
When is the last frost date in Worcester?+
The typical last spring frost in Worcester, MA is around Apr 25. That is an average from local history, not a guarantee, so tender crops like tomatoes and peppers are safer with a week of buffer after it.
When is the first frost date in Worcester?+
The typical first fall frost in Worcester, MA arrives around Oct 19, closing a growing season of roughly 177 frost-free days. Count backward from it to find the last date a fall crop can still finish.
What can I plant now in Worcester?+
It depends on the date. Cool-season crops like lettuce, kale, and spinach go out weeks before the last frost; warm-season crops like tomatoes and peppers wait until after Apr 25. The table above shows each crop's window; the free planner turns your ZIP into an exact, dated calendar.