Subject: Re: last frost date for Boston?

From: [email-masked] (Bob Mason)
Date: 13 Mar 95 17:56:31 GMT

In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Shauna Rabinowitz) writes:
>In article <[email-masked]>,
>[email-masked] (Cara Anthony) wrote:
>
>> I just moved to Boston and all my seed packets say things like "Start
>> indoors 3 weeks before last frost."  When is the accepted date for last
>> frost in this area?  Is this information usually available in an almanac

The general date for tender plants (tomatoes, peppers) is May 30.  If your
right on the coast, it may be possible to push it some.  If you can
cover your plantings, something you probably will want to do in Sept. 
anyway, you can start in early May.

Don't forget '78 with 8" of snow on May 8-9!  Sad to see those peas pushing
up through all that snow.

BTW, peas are planted by April 19.

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From: [email-masked] (Sherry Bailey)
Date: 15 Mar 1995 21:15:57 GMT

Cara Anthony ([email-masked]) wrote:
: I just moved to Boston and all my seed packets say things like "Start
: indoors 3 weeks before last frost."  When is the accepted date for last
: frost in this area?  Is this information usually available in an almanac
: or garden reference book?
: Please reply via email
: [email-masked]
: Thanks
: Cara Anthony

Last frost dates can be learned from the County Extension Agent/s where you
live.  (I live in Nashua, roughly 40 miles north of Boston, next to Derry, and
the County Extension guys told ME our LFD is May 31 -- but maybe it changes
year to year! I want to know where the earlier dates cited for the area came
from!)

Actually, LFD's are an estimate (of course) and based on percentage chance of
killing frost -- so you can get something like "75% chance March 1, 50% chance
April 15, 25% chance May 15, ?% May 31..." (I made those specific dates up, by
the way!)  Then "You pays your money and you takes your chances!"

Sherry

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From: [email-masked]
Date: 15 Mar 95 09:48:33 -0600

[in Boston]
> up through all that snow.

Dr. Pohl, my old major prof, was a dedicated gardener.  His standard
line about "taking a chance" on earlier than recommended spring
plantings was "Seeds are cheap".  You know, he was right... I've
pushed spring many a year... won sometimes, lost sometimes, but
always had good crops, often several weeks before everyone else.

Kay Klier  [email-masked]