One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

By referring to the USDA zone info for Gloucester you should be able to estimate when it's the best time to plant squash.

Planting Calendar for Squash

Frost tolerance for squash:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost.

You really shouldn't plant squash until after the last frost has passed because they do not do well in cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant squash in Gloucester is April. However, you really should wait until May if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant squash and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your squash may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your squash indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Gloucester. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -5°F.

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Gloucester is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Gloucester it frosts late in the year after April 15 so always be ready to protect your squash in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Gloucester

Here is the info for USDA Zone 6b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-5°F
Highest Expected Low	0°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -5°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 0°F.

Plants to Grow in Gloucester

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Gloucester.