When to plant Rhubarb in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States
Rhubarb can be planted after May 12, when air temperature is consistently in a range between 40°F and 80°F and soil temperature is above 45°F.
Growing Rhubarb in Essex County
Days suitable for growing Rhubarb in Essex County, Massachusetts
Essex County has on average 170 days, suitable for growing Rhubarb. Rhubarb needs on average between 56 and 70 days to mature and produce harvest. With 170 days suitable for growing, you can expect good harvest without too much effort if all planting activities are done in timely manner.
Rhubarb seeds can be planted between May 12 and September 02. Planting before May 12 without any additional protection is not advised because cold streaks can damage or kill off young plant. When planting after September 02, Rhubarb will not have enough time to mature and produce harvest.
Growing season extention
In order to maximize chances for a good harvest of Rhubarb in Essex County, some extra steps can be taken to extend growing season.
Start seeds indoors
When starting seeds indoors, it is possible to guarantee best possible conditions for young seedlings. Consistent temperature range, adequate watering and ample light (natural, supplemented with artifitial grow lights) will ensure you have strong and healthy seedlings just in time for transplanting into soil.
It takes 42 days on average for Rhubarb to sprout, and grow big enough to be ready for transplanting.
May 12 is on average first day in Essex County that has required temperatures for young Rhubarb seedlings to grow, without worrying about cold damage.
Seeds can be started indoors beween March 31 and August 19, this way they will be ready just in time for transplanting on May 12.
Seedlings started after August 19 might not have enough time to mature and produce harvest.
Use a cold frame
When using a cold frame in a beggining of growing season You can protect young plants from possible temperature drops, this way growing season can start up to 2 weeks earlier.
Use an additional shading
On days, when air temperatures are expected to raise above 80°F, which is in top of tolerable range for Rhubarb, consider using additional shading to prevent heat shock.
| Total frost free days | 210 |
| Last frost expected date | April 05 |
| First frost expected date | November 01 |
| Dates with ideal conditions | July 20 to July 21 (2 days) July 28 to July 29 (2 days) August 08 to August 09 (2 days) August 13 |
| Dates with suitable conditions | April 14 May 05 May 12 to October 28 (170 days) October 30 to October 31 (2 days) November 07 |
| Total days ideal for growing Rhubarb in Essex County | 7 |
| Total days suitable for growing Rhubarb in Essex County | 175 |
| Days needed for Rhubarb to mature and produce harvest | 56 - 70 |
| Seed can be planted directly into soil | yes |
Notable temperature facts for growing Rhubarb in Essex County, Massachusetts
Table with days suitable to grow vegetables in Essex County, Massachusetts
Tolerable temperature range for Rhubarb: 40°F to 80°F
| Week | Average temperature | Possible min and max temperature | Suitable for Rhubarb | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | January 01 - January 03 | 33°F to 41°F | 25°F to 49°F | |
| 2 | January 04 - January 10 | 29°F to 37°F | 15°F to 43°F | |
| 3 | January 11 - January 17 | 26°F to 37°F | 6°F to 58°F | |
| 4 | January 18 - January 24 | 24°F to 34°F | 5°F to 48°F | |
| 5 | January 25 - January 31 | 24°F to 35°F | 8°F to 46°F | |
| 6 | February 01 - February 07 | 24°F to 36°F | -3°F to 53°F | |
| 7 | February 08 - February 14 | 27°F to 37°F | 11°F to 51°F | |
| 8 | February 15 - February 21 | 26°F to 38°F | 11°F to 52°F | |
| 9 | February 22 - February 28 | 26°F to 38°F | 12°F to 56°F | |
| 10 | March 01 - March 07 | 26°F to 38°F | 11°F to 54°F | |
| 11 | March 08 - March 14 | 31°F to 43°F | 14°F to 58°F | |
| 12 | March 15 - March 21 | 33°F to 45°F | 18°F to 59°F | |
| 13 | March 22 - March 28 | 35°F to 46°F | 28°F to 58°F | |
| 14 | March 29 - April 04 | 34°F to 46°F | 23°F to 56°F | |
| 15 | April 05 - April 11 | 37°F to 49°F | 31°F to 61°F | |
| 16 | April 12 - April 18 | 41°F to 51°F | 32°F to 68°F | TRUE |
| 17 | April 19 - April 25 | 40°F to 51°F | 32°F to 62°F | TRUE |
| 18 | April 26 - May 02 | 40°F to 50°F | 36°F to 62°F | TRUE |
| 19 | May 03 - May 09 | 43°F to 53°F | 38°F to 64°F | TRUE |
| 20 | May 10 - May 16 | 44°F to 57°F | 35°F to 70°F | TRUE |
| 21 | May 17 - May 23 | 48°F to 61°F | 38°F to 73°F | TRUE |
| 22 | May 24 - May 30 | 49°F to 61°F | 41°F to 73°F | TRUE |
| 23 | May 31 - June 06 | 50°F to 62°F | 43°F to 74°F | TRUE |
| 24 | June 07 - June 13 | 53°F to 64°F | 46°F to 75°F | TRUE |
| 25 | June 14 - June 20 | 53°F to 64°F | 47°F to 73°F | TRUE |
| 26 | June 21 - June 27 | 56°F to 66°F | 48°F to 75°F | TRUE |
| 27 | June 28 - July 04 | 58°F to 68°F | 51°F to 79°F | TRUE |
| 28 | July 05 - July 11 | 58°F to 69°F | 52°F to 76°F | TRUE |
| 29 | July 12 - July 18 | 60°F to 69°F | 54°F to 75°F | TRUE |
| 30 | July 19 - July 25 | 61°F to 71°F | 55°F to 80°F | TRUE |
| 31 | July 26 - August 01 | 60°F to 71°F | 52°F to 79°F | TRUE |
| 32 | August 02 - August 08 | 60°F to 70°F | 52°F to 80°F | TRUE |
| 33 | August 09 - August 15 | 60°F to 70°F | 54°F to 78°F | TRUE |
| 34 | August 16 - August 22 | 58°F to 68°F | 54°F to 76°F | TRUE |
| 35 | August 23 - August 29 | 58°F to 68°F | 50°F to 76°F | TRUE |
| 36 | August 30 - September 05 | 56°F to 66°F | 51°F to 75°F | TRUE |
| 37 | September 06 - September 12 | 57°F to 66°F | 50°F to 74°F | TRUE |
| 38 | September 13 - September 19 | 53°F to 62°F | 45°F to 70°F | TRUE |
| 39 | September 20 - September 26 | 51°F to 61°F | 43°F to 74°F | TRUE |
| 40 | September 27 - October 03 | 50°F to 60°F | 45°F to 68°F | TRUE |
| 41 | October 04 - October 10 | 48°F to 57°F | 40°F to 67°F | TRUE |
| 42 | October 11 - October 17 | 48°F to 57°F | 42°F to 65°F | TRUE |
| 43 | October 18 - October 24 | 45°F to 54°F | 40°F to 62°F | TRUE |
| 44 | October 25 - October 31 | 45°F to 53°F | 34°F to 67°F | TRUE |
| 45 | November 01 - November 07 | 41°F to 50°F | 30°F to 64°F | TRUE |
| 46 | November 08 - November 14 | 39°F to 49°F | 21°F to 62°F | |
| 47 | November 15 - November 21 | 34°F to 43°F | 27°F to 57°F | |
| 48 | November 22 - November 28 | 35°F to 44°F | 28°F to 51°F | |
| 49 | November 29 - December 05 | 33°F to 42°F | 25°F to 53°F | |
| 50 | December 06 - December 12 | 31°F to 41°F | 15°F to 53°F | |
| 51 | December 13 - December 19 | 32°F to 40°F | 12°F to 52°F | |
| 52 | December 20 - December 26 | 28°F to 37°F | 15°F to 52°F | |
| 53 | December 27 - December 31 | 33°F to 40°F | 27°F to 50°F |
Days with suitable temperature for growing Rhubarb in Essex County, Massachusetts
All data is provided “as is” without warranty or any representation of accuracy, timeliness or completeness.
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Average daily temperatures were calculated using
