Maine Planting Calendar: When to Sow and Plant, Frost Dates Included
Maine’s frost-free season runs from late April or early May to early or mid October in Portland, with inland and northern areas running weeks later and earlier.
Gardening in Maine
Everything we have worked out for Maine: what to plant and when, which varieties finish in time, the pests that actually turn up here, and the jobs that pay off month by month. We also cover the rest of the property, from lawns and soil to home care and energy, because a garden rarely stops at the vegetable bed.
The numbers first, because everything else follows from them. Measured at the weather station in Portland, the last spring freeze runs April 22 to May 1 and the first fall freeze runs October 9 to October 21, USDA zones 3b-6a, 2,408 growing degree days in the year.
That is enough for early varieties, tight for anything late. Garlic does well: 30.4 weeks below 40 °F, comfortably past the six it needs to form a proper head.
Elsewhere on the property in Maine: the pests that turn up here.
Figures from NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals. A state is not one climate: elevation, a large lake or the coast can move these dates by two weeks either way, so check your own county with the extension service before you spend money.
Flowers That Actually Thrive in Maine, and the Ones That Struggle
A practical look at which flowers hold up in Maine’s short summers and cold winters, with native picks, reliable perennials, and border advice.
Maine Soil: What You Are Digging Into, and How to Improve It
Dig a spade into most Maine ground and you’ll hit sandy, acid, silty soil that drains at a moderate pace and holds onto very little lime.
Planting Spring Bulbs in Maine: What Will Come Back, and What Will Not
Maine spans hardiness zones 3b to 6a, which means the planting calendar that works in Portland can be three weeks off in Aroostook County.
The Maine Apple Calendar, Stage by Stage
A stage-by-stage look at Maine’s apple calendar, anchored to NOAA’s Portland frost dates for spring bloom and fall harvest timing.
Firewood in Maine: Which Woods Your Winter Actually Needs
Firewood in Maine means planning around a average low of 15.6°F in the coldest month, measured at the Portland reference station.
When to Carve a Pumpkin in Maine
Around Portland, the mean first fall frost lands between October 9 and October 21, according to NOAA climate normals.
Growing Onions in Maine: Which Varieties Actually Bulb
Onions grown from the wrong seed packet in Maine don’t fail quietly. They put up tall green tops all summer, then sit there with no bulb to show for it…
Growing Apples in Maine: Varieties, Timing and Frost Risk
Maine spans USDA zones 3b to 6a, so match apple varieties to cold hardiness and winter chill before choosing a pollinator pair.
Heating a Home in Maine: What the Winter Actually Costs
Maine winters mean four to five months of the furnace or woodstove running, with January mornings regularly bottoming out near 16°F.