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Home Garden Lot: Garden & Home Improvement

What Hardiness Zone Is Vermont?

USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map · 305 ZIP codes · Data updated 2026-10-28

Quick answer

Vermont spans USDA hardiness zones 4a–6a on the 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map. The most common zone is 5a, covering 58% of Vermont's ZIP codes, followed by zone 4b (23%). Zone 5a means the coldest night of an average winter reaches −20°F to −15°F (−29°C to −26°C). Enter your ZIP code for your exact zone.

Vermont hardiness zones by share of ZIP codes

Zone 4a4% · 11 ZIPs
Zone 4b23% · 70 ZIPs
Zone 5a58% · 176 ZIPs
Zone 5b15% · 46 ZIPs
Zone 6a<1% · 2 ZIPs

What the zones mean for Vermont gardeners

  • Coldest and warmest towns: among towns with NOAA weather stations, Averill (1,699 ft) is in zone 4a, while S Hero (110 ft) is in zone 5b. That is a difference of about 15°F in the coldest night of a typical winter.
  • Same zone, different frost dates: within zone 5a, the median last spring frost ranges from April 29 at Burlington Intl Airport to May 25 at Plainfield, 26 days apart. Your zone tells you which perennials survive winter; your frost dates tell you when to plant.

Typical frost dates in each Vermont zone

Medians across NOAA weather stations in each zone. Colder zones usually have later spring frosts, but local terrain can shift the dates by weeks.

ZoneLast spring frostFirst fall frostStations
4aMay 19September 283
4bMay 14October 19
5aMay 13October 126
5bMay 10October 36

Hardiness zones for Vermont cities

Zones at the National Weather Service stations, mostly city airports, with their median frost dates.
Barre Montpelier Airport5a−20°F to −15°F1,126May 16Sep 29
Bennington Morse St Airport5b−15°F to −10°F826May 11Oct 2
Burlington Intl Airport5a−20°F to −15°F330Apr 29Oct 15
Morrisville Stowe State Airport4b−25°F to −20°F732May 20Sep 28
Springfield Hartness Airport5b−15°F to −10°F578May 13Oct 3

Hardiness zones for 44 towns in Vermont

Each NOAA weather station is shown with the USDA zone of the nearest ZIP code (within 8 miles). Coldest night is the zone's range for the average annual extreme minimum temperature. Click a column to sort.
Averill4a−30°F to −25°F1,699May 25Sep 22
Barre Montpelier Airport5a−20°F to −15°F1,126May 16Sep 29
Bennington Morse St Airport5b−15°F to −10°F826May 11Oct 2
Burlington Intl Airport5a−20°F to −15°F330Apr 29Oct 15
Cavendish5b−15°F to −10°F842May 16Sep 29
Chelsea 2 NW5a−20°F to −15°F1,440May 9Oct 1
Corinth5a−20°F to −15°F1,180May 14Sep 29
Cornwall5a−20°F to −15°F345May 5Oct 3
E Haven4b−25°F to −20°F1,000May 30Sep 16
Eden 2 S4b−25°F to −20°F1,456May 5Oct 8
Enosburg Falls4b−25°F to −20°F420May 14Oct 1
Enosburg Falls 25a−20°F to −15°F425May 18Sep 30
Essex Junction 1 N5a−20°F to −15°F340May 2Oct 11
Island Pond4a−30°F to −25°F1,200May 19Sep 29
Island Pond Airport4a−30°F to −25°F1,194May 16Sep 28
Jay Peak4b−25°F to −20°F1,840May 14Oct 1
Johnson 2 N5a−20°F to −15°F980May 9Oct 1
Montpelier 25a−20°F to −15°F530May 5Oct 9
Morrisville 4 SSW5a−20°F to −15°F760May 24Sep 27
Morrisville Stowe State Airport4b−25°F to −20°F732May 20Sep 28
Mount Mansfield5a−20°F to −15°F3,950May 23Sep 30
N Hartland Lake5a−20°F to −15°F570May 8Oct 6
N Springfield Lake5b−15°F to −10°F560May 9Oct 2
Newport4b−25°F to −20°F790May 14Sep 30
Northfield5a−20°F to −15°F670May 18Sep 28
Peru5a−20°F to −15°F1,700May 16Oct 2
Plainfield5a−20°F to −15°F800May 25Sep 22
Pownal 1 NE5b−15°F to −10°F1,110May 7Oct 8
Rochester5a−20°F to −15°F830May 13Oct 2
Rutland5a−20°F to −15°F620May 15Sep 27
S Hero5b−15°F to −10°F110Apr 28Oct 20
S Lincoln5a−20°F to −15°F1,341May 21Sep 25
Saint Johnsbury4b−25°F to −20°F700May 13Oct 3
Salisbury 2 N5a−20°F to −15°F420May 21Sep 26
Springfield Hartness Airport5b−15°F to −10°F578May 13Oct 3
St Albans Radio5a−20°F to −15°F380May 1Oct 12
Sunderland 25a−20°F to −15°F900May 13Sep 29
Sutton4b−25°F to −20°F1,500May 9Oct 1
Sutton 2NE4b−25°F to −20°F1,000Jun 1Sep 13
Union Village Dam5a−20°F to −15°F460May 9Oct 2
Vergennes5a−20°F to −15°F196Apr 30Oct 17
Waitsfield 2 SE5a−20°F to −15°F1,142May 11Oct 1
Woodstock5a−20°F to −15°F600May 13Oct 1
Worcester 2 W5a−20°F to −15°F1,360May 4Oct 5

Frequently asked questions

What hardiness zone is Vermont?

Vermont is in USDA hardiness zones 4a–6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Zone 5a is the most common, covering 58% of Vermont's ZIP codes, and zone 4b covers 23%. Enter your ZIP code for your exact zone.

What does zone 5a mean?

Zone 5a means the average annual extreme minimum temperature, the coldest night of a typical winter, is −20°F to −15°F (−29°C to −26°C). Perennials, shrubs and trees rated for zone 5a or colder should survive winter there.

What is the coldest hardiness zone in Vermont?

Zone 4a is the coldest zone mapped in Vermont, found around Averill, and zone 6a is the warmest.

Did Vermont's hardiness zones change in 2023?

The USDA released a new Plant Hardiness Zone Map in November 2023, based on 1991–2020 temperatures instead of 1976–2005. About half of the United States shifted half a zone warmer. Check your ZIP code here, because plant tags and older books may still list your 2012 zone.

When should I plant in zone 5a?

Hardiness zones don't set planting dates; frost dates do. Inside zone 5a in Vermont, the median last spring frost varies from April 29 to May 25. Look up your local frost dates and plant tender crops such as tomatoes after the 10%-risk last-frost date.

Zone and frost dates: use both

Your hardiness zone answers one question: will this plant survive the winter here? Choose perennials, shrubs, trees and bulbs rated for your zone or a colder one. For vegetables and annuals, what matters is the length of the frost-free season. See Vermont frost dates by town, or get a planting calendar for your ZIP code with start-indoors, transplant and sowing dates for 30 crops.

Sources and method

Zones are from the USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map ZIP-code files published by the PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, based on 1991–2020 minimum temperatures. ZIP codes are assigned to states by USPS prefix. Town zones use the ZIP code nearest each NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals station. This is an independent tool, not an official USDA site. Full methodology.

Hardiness zones in other states