Bay · The Bronx, New York, United States
When to plant bay in The Bronx
Main outdoor window
22 Apr - 20 May
The window this page is built around.
Timed from last spring frost
15 April
In The Bronx, on your chosen risk.
Ready to pick
1 Jan - 31 Dec
If you plant at the start of the window.
The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.
Step by step in The Bronx
Each window is a range, not a single day. Earlier in the range buys you a longer season; later in it buys you a safer one.
Plant out
22 Apr - 20 May
After the last frost, once the soil has warmed. This crop is never fully dormant, so it cannot be planted bare-root in winter.
Harvest
1 Jan - 31 Dec
Bay through the year
Against the frost risk in The Bronx
Why these dates
Plant out after the last frost. In containers it needs winter shelter in cold regions - not heat, just protection from freezing wind, which scorches the foliage badly.
Established plants take around -10C. Young plants and container specimens are considerably more tender, and cold drying wind does more visible damage than still cold at the same temperature.
Bay are planted once and then left in place, so there is no sowing offset to resolve. Nor is there a dormant season to plant into: this crop keeps its leaves and keeps growing through the winter, which is exactly why cold damages it. The window on this page therefore waits until the last frost in The Bronx has passed and the soil has begun to warm, giving the roots the longest possible run before the cold returns.
The Bronx sits in zone 7a, which is colder than this crop is rated for, so it will need winter protection or a container that can be moved under cover. The dates below still describe the right time of year; the open question is survival rather than timing.
Do not expect a crop in the first year. A plant set out now should give its first worthwhile pick around year 2, and will then produce every year after that, which is what makes the planting decision worth getting right the first time.
Growing bay in The Bronx
When should I plant bay in The Bronx?
Aim for 22 Apr - 20 May in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 1-29 May - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.
When will bay be ready to harvest in The Bronx?
Expect to start picking around 1 Jan - 31 Dec, based on 120 to 150 days to maturity from the planting date calculated for this location.
How much frost will bay tolerate?
Established plants take around -10C. Young plants and container specimens are considerably more tender, and cold drying wind does more visible damage than still cold at the same temperature.