One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule is the 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.

One way of determining when to plant pea is to refer to the USDA zone info for Worcester.

Planting Calendar for Pea

Frost tolerance for pea:	Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

Since pea are very cold tolerant you can plant them earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant pea in Worcester is February. However, you really should wait until March if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant pea and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your pea may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your pea indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on April 15 in Worcester. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Worcester may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Worcester last frost occurs after April 15 be ready to protect your pea if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Worcester

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-15°F
Highest Expected Low	-10°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -15°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -10°F.

Plants to Grow in Worcester

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