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When should you start in the interior seed? Check the last frost date of the last frost on average

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Spring comes.

If you have garden, it is now time to find out which plants you want to grow when warmer weather approaches, including the time when you should start plants indoors so that you can be planted out in spring.

And that means watching until the last frost date.

“A frost date is the average date of the last light freeze in spring or the first easy freeze in autumn,” said the farmer's Almanach.

So when will this last freeze happen?

Here is what to know.

When will the average last frost date in Massachusetts be predicted?

First, it depends on where you live in the state. If you are in a coastal part of the state, your frost date is earlier than in the colder climate of the Berkshires.

In Boston, the average date of the last freezing date is on April 4th. According to NOAA climate data from 1991 to 2000, Worcester is on April 23 and Amherst on May 5. To see your location, go to the climate. GOV Average Last Freeze card.

The date is average, so frosts sometimes appear after the average last freezing date.

Why is this date important for gardening?

On the garden safe website explains that the last frost is an indicator of the vegetation period.

“One last frost in spring is important for gardening because it states when it is certain to plant delicate plants in free, because waiting until after the last frost date prevents cold damage on sensitive seedlings and ensures that they germinate and at Warmer soil temperatures can grow properly, “to Garden Safe. “Essentially, it marks the beginning of the vegetation period for many plants in a certain area.”

In addition, many seed packages give the gardeners instructions at the time of the time when their seeds are supposed to start interior or outdoors based on their local average frost data. Many seeds recommend being planted eight weeks before the last frost date, which is now for a large part of Massachusetts.

What are the three frost levels?

The farmer's almanac explains that they contain:

  • Light freezer: 29 ° to 32 ° F – delicate plants are killed.
  • Moderate freezing: 25 ° to 28 ° F – far destructive for most of the vegetation.
  • Heavy freezing: 24 ° F and colder – severe damage to most garden plants.