frostdate name logo in white
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When to Plant New Zealand spinach in Portland, ME

The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us determine your gardening schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

By looking at the USDA zone info for Portland it's a good idea to estimate when it's possible to plant new zealand spinach.


Planting Calendar for New Zealand spinach

Frost tolerance for new zealand spinach: Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant: Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

New Zealand spinach can survive in a little bit of cold which tells us that you can plant them a bit earlier in the year than plants that are more sensitive to the cold.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant new zealand spinach
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant new zealand spinach
Probably not a good time to plant new zealand spinach

The earliest that you can plant new zealand spinach in Portland 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 new zealand spinach and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your new zealand spinach may not have a chance to fully mature. If you are starting your new zealand spinach indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

Since the USDA zone info for Portland may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Portland it frosts late in the year after April 15 so always be ready to cover your new zealand spinach in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Portland

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 Portland

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