Fruit Trees for Farmington, Rangeley and the Western Maine Mountains

In the cold snap of mid-January 2009, NOAA's station on the hillside east of Phillips bottomed out at −18°F. Farmington, down on the Sandy River floor, read −29°F, and Rangeley, on the flat beside Rangeley Lake, read −38°F. That's a 20°F spread inside 30 miles, and most of it comes down to where cold air drains on a still night and where it settles. Picking fruit trees for Farmington, Rangeley and the western Maine mountains starts there.

The map covers much of Franklin County and the Oxford County towns along the Androscoggin: the Sandy River valley from New Sharon up through Farmington, Wilton, Strong and Phillips, Kingfield on the Carrabassett, Rumford, Mexico, Dixfield, Peru and Jay, Weld, the Ellis and Swift River intervales at Andover, Roxbury and Byron, and the Rangeley Lakes. Type your address in the box on the map to get the number for your own place, and the list of what we sell that has come through it.

How to read this map

Every number on the map is a 30-year planning low, the same number our cold hardiness calculator uses, built from NOAA station records since the 1995-96 winter and adjusted for the lay of the land. It's the number to plan for, not the record. You also get the MFTC zone (that number in half zones), the typical winter (an average year's coldest night, the kind of number USDA's zones are built on, which is why theirs read warmer) and a spring layer: how much warmer or colder a spot runs than Farmington on a still, clear night at bloom.

Farmington, the reference town, plans for −29°F (MFTC zone 4a) with a typical winter of −17°F. The middle of the growing ground plans for −29°F too, and nine tenths of it falls between −36°F and −25°F. The warm end is the hill farms a few hundred feet above the valleys, like Dixfield Center at −26°F and the upper slope of Voter Hill at −25°F (zone 4b). The cold end is the Rangeley Lakes basin, where Rangeley village plans for −37°F (zone 3a) and Pleasant Island −38°F. The spring layer runs from 10°F colder than Farmington at New Vineyard to 11°F to 13°F warmer on the hills right around Farmington.

Why the map looks the way it does

Two river systems drain this country. The Sandy rises at Sandy River Ponds at 1,700 ft, runs down through Madrid, Phillips and Strong to Farmington, then turns northeast past Farmington Falls and New Sharon toward the Kennebec. The Rangeley Lakes drain the other way, through Mooselookmeguntic and the Richardson Lakes into the Androscoggin, which swings back east past Rumford, Mexico and Dixfield. On a clear, calm night every slope from Sugarloaf (4,237 ft) to Mount Blue sheds cold air down its streams to the nearest floor, and the floors sit at very different heights: about 344 ft at Farmington Falls, 407 to 482 ft along the Androscoggin, 660 to 890 ft in the Ellis and Swift intervales, and about 1,500 ft at the big lakes. Each floor makes its own cold pool, and the map is mostly a picture of those pools and the slopes above them.

The Rangeley basin is the cold sink. NOAA station records show Rangeley's coldest reading of the year running a median 7°F colder than Farmington's over 48 years. Some of that is height. The rest is a pool: the village station sits only about 12 ft above Rangeley Lake, and all winter that lake is a frozen, snow-covered flat ringed by mountains (Rangeley averages about 123 inches of snow, and the ice usually holds into early May). A frozen lake does nothing for its shore, and air over snow runs colder. The proof is the second station, 2 miles northwest near Chick Hill and about 250 ft higher. Its yearly low runs a median 5°F warmer than the village's, and in the January 2009 cold snap it read −25°F while the village read −38°F. The map gives the village −37°F and that hillside site −32°F.

The Sandy River valley does the same thing lower down. NOAA's Farmington station sits on the valley floor near Fairbanks; the New Sharon station sits on the valley side about 115 ft above the river. Farmington's yearly low runs a median 3°F colder, its last 32°F comes May 20 against May 13, and its frost-free season is 124 days against 138. In the cold snap of January 11, 1976 it read −32°F while Rumford 1 SSE, on the slope above Rumford, read −22°F. A Hungarian study of 69 clear, calm nights found a valley floor averaged 6.7°F colder than a slope 230 ft higher.

Side valleys and draws carry the cold down onto the floors, and the spring layer, which runs the terrain at full strength, shows it best. New Vineyard, in the bottom below the New Vineyard Mountains, reads 10°F colder than Farmington at bloom, the coldest spring reading of any named place on the map; Kingfield and Avon read 9°F colder. The hill hamlets 140 to 310 ft above their floors go the other way: Beans Corner 6°F warmer, Knowltons and Goodrich corners 7°F, Seaveys Corner and Dixfield Center 8°F. That's the thermal belt, above the pool and below the windswept tops. A slope is only as good as its outlet, though: a hedge, a fence, a road fill or a tree line across it dams cold air into the trees just uphill.

Water and towns do less than you'd hope. Rangeley Lake runs 149 ft deep, but it freezes, and lakes shelter their shores only when they're relatively free of ice. We haven't found any measurement of town heat in Farmington or Rumford; the map credits built-up ground with up to 2.5°F. Snow matters more: Farmington averages about 94 inches, and snow over the roots keeps them alive through cold that bare ground wouldn't.

The kind of night matters too. In February 2023 a day and a half of high winds and subzero cold wiped out Maine's peach and plum crops. When arctic air pours in on a wind there's no inversion and the hills have no edge. The planning low draws on both kinds of night; the spring layer shows the still-night pattern only.

Farmington, West Farmington and the hills around town

Farmington, named for its unusually fertile soil, is a town of "hills and intervales." Downtown sits on a toe slope about 40 ft above the floor and plans for −29°F (zone 4a), typical winter −17°F. Within 3 miles the floor plans for −30°F and the benches and slopes −27°F. West Farmington, across the river, plans for −29°F and reads 1°F warmer than Farmington at bloom. Fairbanks, up the valley by the NOAA station, sits on the floor in a cold channel at −30°F and reads 5°F colder at bloom. Farmington Falls, downstream on the river bottom at about 344 ft, plans for −31°F (zone 3b).

The hills are the place for early bloomers. Powderhouse Hill, 260 ft above the floor, plans for −27°F and reads 11°F warmer than Farmington at bloom; Titcomb Hill reads 12°F warmer; the upper slope of Voter Hill, 630 ft up, plans for −25°F and reads 13°F warmer. Pick the side slopes, not the windswept tops.

For a downtown or West Farmington lot, plant to −29°F: Honeycrisp (−45°F), Zestar!® (−40°F) and Liberty (−30°F) apples, Toka plum (−45°F) to pollenize Superior (−35°F), and Meteor tart cherry (−40°F). In Fairbanks and Farmington Falls, plant to −31°F and lean on apples and bush fruit: Haralson (−45°F), Wolf River (−45°F), Kerr applecrab (−50°F) and honeyberry (−50°F). Up on the hills, add Westcot apricot (−45°F), Lapins sweet cherry (−35°F), Flemish Beauty pear (−40°F) and Contender peach (−30°F). Tom McCamant grows Contender at Forbidden Fruit Orchard in Paradise, Montana, and it's the only commercial peach we know of that has taken −32°F.

New Sharon, Chesterville, Industry and the lower Sandy

Below Farmington Falls the Sandy runs through the lowest ground on the map, about 354 ft at North Chesterville and 364 ft at New Sharon. New Sharon village, which the river cuts in two, sits 50 ft above its floor, plans for −30°F (zone 4a) and reads 1°F warmer than Farmington at bloom. Weeks Mills, in a cold channel, plans for −30°F (zone 3b, just past the line) and reads 4°F colder, and Chesterville (−29°F) and North Chesterville (−30°F) read 3°F to 4°F colder. The New Sharon station, on the valley side toward Cape Cod Hill, has the longest frost-free season of any station on the map, 138 days. Cape Cod Hill itself, 550 ft above the floor, plans for −26°F and reads 12°F warmer at bloom, and Knowltons Corner (140 ft up) plans for −28°F.

In Industry, Allens Mills and Industry village plan for −30°F on the stream bottom and read 7°F colder than Farmington at bloom, while Goodrich Corner, 140 ft up the hillside, plans for −28°F and reads 7°F warmer.

Lane Road Orchard in New Sharon grows apples, aronia and a few dozen pears. On the floors here, plant to −31°F: Snowsweet® (−45°F), Frostbite (−45°F) and Freedom (−35°F) apples, Underwood plum (−40°F) and Aronia Berry (−50°F). Pears bloom early, so put them on Cape Cod Hill or the Corners: Seckel (−35°F) and Clapp's Favorite (−30°F). Downstream, where the Sandy meets the Kennebec, the Augusta, Waterville and Kennebec map picks up.

Wilton, Temple and Jay

Wilton village sits on Wilson Stream just below Wilson Pond, 90 ft above the low ground around it, and plans for −27°F (zone 4a) with a typical winter of −15°F, one of the mildest town numbers on the map. The catch is spring. The village is in the Wilson Stream draw, and on a still night the cold off the hills runs down the stream through town, so it reads 4°F colder than Farmington at bloom. East Wilton plans for −29°F and also reads 4°F colder. Beans Corner, on a bench east of the village 190 ft above its floor, plans for −27°F and reads 6°F warmer.

Temple was settled by hill farmers, and the hills are still its better fruit ground. The village on Temple Stream plans for −29°F and reads 3°F colder than Farmington at bloom; Temple Intervale, up the stream, plans for −30°F and reads 8°F colder. Within 3 miles the floor plans for −30°F and the benches −26°F.

Jay's villages sit along the Androscoggin and Seven Mile Stream. North Jay, on the floor, plans for −29°F and reads 6°F colder than Farmington at bloom; Riley, 50 ft above its floor, plans for −29°F and reads 3°F warmer; Jay Hill, 250 ft up, plans for −27°F and reads 11°F warmer.

In Wilton village the winter number allows a lot but bloom nights don't, so favor apples: Black Oxford (−35°F), Paula Red (−35°F) and Pristine (−30°F), plus the Cold Climate Blueberry Bundle (−40°F); there are blueberry farms in Wilton and Jay. Save Westcot and Rainier sweet cherry (−30°F) for Beans Corner or Jay Hill.

Strong, Phillips, Kingfield and the upper valleys

Strong sits on a hilly intervale above a big bend in the Sandy; the village plans for −30°F (zone 4a, just) and reads even with Farmington at bloom. Avon village sits in a cold channel at −30°F (zone 3b) and reads 9°F colder at bloom. Phillips, which grew up around mills at falls on the Sandy, plans for −28°F (zone 4a) and reads 2°F colder. Within 3 miles of Phillips the floor plans for −29°F and the benches −25°F, the mildest bench numbers around any town on the map, which fits the mild Phillips 2 station on the hillside east of the village. Up the valley, Madrid plans for −28°F but sits in a draw and reads 6°F colder at bloom.

Kingfield sits in the Carrabassett valley where the West Branch joins just above the village, and cold drains down off Sugarloaf and the Caribou Valley. It plans for −30°F (zone 3b) and reads 9°F colder than Farmington at bloom; its benches plan for −28°F. Downstream, New Portland plans for −30°F and reads about even at bloom. New Vineyard, in the bottom under the New Vineyard Mountains, plans for −30°F and reads 10°F colder.

In New Vineyard, Kingfield, Avon and Madrid, keep the low spots for apples and bush fruit: Haralson, Prairie Spy (−40°F), Centennial applecrab (−50°F), which Ed Schultz saw come through a winter that hit −47°F with zero injury, honeyberry and Montana Black Currant (−50°F). On the Phillips and Strong hillsides, add Westcot, Lapins, Ure pear (−40°F) and Pipestone plum (−40°F).

Rumford, Mexico, Dixfield, Peru and Weld

In the foothills of the White Mountains, the Androscoggin drops 177 ft over Rumford Falls, then runs past Mexico, Dixfield and Peru. The villages on its floor plan for −30°F to −31°F: Rumford −30°F, Mexico −31°F and Dixfield −30°F (all zone 3b), Peru −30°F (zone 4a). At bloom they read 1°F to 4°F colder than Farmington, and East Dixfield and Peru Center, in side valleys, 7°F colder. NOAA's old Rumford village station and Rumford 1 SSE, about 150 ft above town, both ran a median 4°F milder than Farmington, so take the map's river numbers as the safe side.

Mexico is built on hills above the river, and its benches plan for −26°F. Virginia, 150 ft above its floor, plans for −28°F and reads 6°F warmer than Farmington at bloom; Dixfield Center, 310 ft up, plans for −26°F and reads 8°F warmer. Rumford Point, where the Ellis comes in above the falls, plans for −26°F, but on the river flat it reads 4°F colder at bloom.

Weld sits beside Webb Lake, almost surrounded by mountains, and was once known for numerous, prolific apple orchards. The village, on a hillside 100 ft above its floor, plans for −28°F and reads 4°F warmer than Farmington at bloom, while Weld Corner (−28°F) reads 3°F colder. Webb Lake is shallow and freezes, so the slope does the work, not the water.

On the river floors, plant to −31°F: Haralson, Frostbite and Cortland (−40°F) apples, Black Ice plum (−40°F) and Evan's Bali tart cherry (−45°F). On Virginia, Dixfield Center, the Mexico hills and Weld village, add Lapins, Westcot, Bartlett pear (−35°F) and Wealthy apple (−50°F). If you're up the Androscoggin in Bethel, the North Conway, Bethel and Mount Washington Valley map covers you.

Andover, Roxbury and Byron

Andover sits on an intervale surrounded by mountains on the Ellis River and plans for −29°F (zone 4a) and reads 1°F colder than Farmington at bloom. Within 3 miles the floor plans for −30°F and the benches −27°F. The Andover 2 station, about 100 ft above the village, has a 30-year number of −28°F and hit −30°F on January 16, 2009. Roxbury, on the Swift, plans for −30°F (zone 4a) and reads 7°F colder at bloom. Byron, the old "Hop City," sits on a narrow intervale by Coos Canyon at −30°F, and here the benches buy nothing in winter: the floor and the benches within 3 miles both plan for −30°F. Houghton, up the valley at about 1,063 ft, plans for −32°F (zone 3b).

In Andover, plant to −30°F: Honeycrisp, Haralson, Zestar!®, Toka and Superior, and Meteor, with Lapins only on your best slope. In Byron and Houghton, plant to −32°F: Wealthy, Norda (−50°F) and Haralson apples, Kerr, Pipestone, Evan's Bali and honeyberry.

Rangeley, Oquossoc and the Rangeley Lakes

Rangeley village sits on City Cove at the northeast corner of Rangeley Lake, about 1,531 ft up and 10 ft above the floor. It plans for −37°F (zone 3a) with a typical winter of −25°F and reads 4°F colder than Farmington at bloom. Within 3 miles the floor plans for −38°F and the benches and slopes −33°F, so getting up off the flat is worth about 5°F here, the biggest floor-to-bench gap of any town or village on the map. Up the slope east of the village, the Dallas Plantation point sits 420 ft above the floor, plans for −33°F (zone 3b) and reads 11°F warmer at bloom. Rangeley Plantation, on the south shore 220 ft up, plans for −35°F and reads 7°F warmer.

The lakeside neighborhoods sit in between: Mingo Springs and Mountainview plan for −35°F (zone 3b) and Bald Mountain −36°F (zone 3a), all about even with Farmington at bloom, and Oquossoc, at the lake's outlet, −35°F. The flats are the bottom of the map: Sandy River Plantation plans for −37°F and reads 7°F colder at bloom, and Pleasant Island −38°F.

The season is short. At the village station the median last 32°F comes May 24 and the first fall 32°F September 25, and one year in ten the last spring frost comes after June 4. The hillside station's first fall frost comes a week earlier, so height doesn't buy a longer season up here.

On the flats, plant only what has come through −40°F or colder: Kerr and Trailman (−60°F) applecrabs (if you only plant one tree, make it one of these), Chestnut (−50°F), Oriole (−50°F), Wealthy and Haralson apples, Brookred plum (−50°F), Evan's Bali and Romeo (−50°F) cherries, honeyberry and Montana Black Currant. On the Dallas Plantation slopes, add Bolshaya pear (−50°F), Honeycrisp and Toka. Skip the late keepers.

Spring frost and bloom in the western Maine mountains

The spring layer follows the same drainage as winter: side-valley bottoms like New Vineyard, Kingfield, Avon and Temple Intervale read 8°F to 10°F colder than Farmington, and the hills around Farmington, Cape Cod Hill, Jay Hill and Dallas Plantation 11°F to 13°F warmer. On spring frost nights the cold layer usually tops out 30 to 200 ft above the ground, so a hundred feet of height goes a long way.

NOAA station records for 1991 to 2020 put the median last 32°F at May 20 at Farmington and Andover 2, May 13 at New Sharon and May 24 at Rangeley. The last 28°F comes May 12 at Farmington, April 26 at New Sharon and May 14 at Rangeley. One year in ten the last 32°F comes after June 1 at Farmington and after June 4 at Rangeley. Frost-free seasons run 122 days at Rangeley, 124 at Farmington and 138 at New Sharon.

The lakes keep score. Parker Pond at Chesterville's corner and Worthley Pond in Peru lost their ice on April 10 and 11 in both 2022 and 2026, Webb Lake on April 17 and 18, and Rangeley Lake goes out about May 3 on average. In the same spring the Rangeley Lakes go out 12 to 25 days after Worthley, so by the ice, spring in the high basin runs two to three weeks behind the low country.

2023 showed what a bad spring does. A late May snap freeze killed apple blossoms across central and western Maine, and the state's apple yield came in at about half of normal (sources differ on which part of Maine got it worst). UMaine pomologist Renae Moran said low valleys get more killing frosts as cold drains off higher ground, and that higher orchards were expected to carry apples. One grower said a one-degree difference decided which trees kept fruit.

Open blossoms of apple, pear, cherry, peach, apricot and plum all start dying at about 28°F, according to Michigan State's fruit people. Apples have the most slack, since only about 15 percent of their blossoms need to set, and fully open haskap flowers take 19°F, so honeyberry is the safest bloom in the bottoms. UMaine warns that sweet cherry blossoms are often killed by spring frost. Site comes first; the FAO's frost manual calls it the single most important method of frost protection. Put apricots, peaches and sweet cherries highest, pears and plums next, apples and haskap lower, and on a frost night, frost cloth of 0.5, 0.9 or 1.5 oz per square yard gains about 4°F, 6°F or 8°F.

What the weather records say

January 20, 1994 set the NOAA station records for much of this country: −45°F at Rangeley, −39°F at Farmington (125 years on file) and −36°F at Rumford 1 SSE, with Madison on the Kennebec at −39°F. Farmington also read −37°F on February 2, 1962. Average yearly lows run from −28°F at Rangeley and −22°F at Farmington to −16°F at New Sharon and Andover 2, and −12°F over the 11 years on file at Phillips 2. Farmington sees about 40 nights a year below 0°F. UMaine's fruit team logged −17°F on February 5, 2023, cold enough to kill peach flower buds, and Maine had no peach crop that year.

The 2023 USDA map moved interior Maine from 4a and 4b to 5a and 5b, and UMaine Extension puts northern and western Maine mostly in Zone 4. Our zones run colder (Farmington 4a, most Androscoggin villages 3b, Rangeley 3a) because USDA's zones are built on the average of each winter's coldest night, and NOAA station records show the worst night in about 30 winters runs a median 13°F below a station's average winter low.

What you can grow here

Hill farms, benches and slopes: −28°F or warmer

The hills around Farmington and New Sharon, Beans, Seaveys and Goodrich corners, Dixfield Center, Virginia, Jay Hill, Weld and Phillips. Apples: Honeycrisp, Zestar!®, Liberty, Paula Red, Black Oxford and Pristine. Pears: Flemish Beauty, Luscious (−40°F), Seckel and Clapp's Favorite. Plums: Toka and Superior, Pipestone. Cherries: Lapins (one of our growers in Cowley, Wyoming saw no damage on it at −33°F), Rainier and Meteor. Apricots: Westcot and Debbie's Gold (−50°F). Peaches: Siberian C (−35°F) and Contender, as an experiment; Maine loses its peach crop about every four to five years, and Siberian C ripens very late.

Valley floors and intervales: −29°F to −32°F

Farmington and the Sandy River floor, Kingfield, the Androscoggin villages, Andover, Roxbury and Byron. Apples: Haralson, Wolf River, Snowsweet®, Frostbite, Honeycrisp, Cortland, Prairie Spy, Freedom and Wealthy, with Liberty worth a try on the warmer floor lots. Pears, on your highest corner: Ure and Summercrisp (−40°F). Plums: Toka and Superior, Underwood, Black Ice and Alderman (−40°F). Cherries: Evan's Bali and Meteor. Applecrabs: Kerr and Centennial.

Rangeley, Oquossoc and the high basin: −33°F to −38°F

Kerr, Trailman and Chestnut; Oriole, Wealthy, Norda, Kindercrisp (−50°F) and Haralson apples; Bolshaya and Krasnobokaya (−50°F) pears on a slope; Brookred and Brookgold (−50°F) plums; Evan's Bali and Romeo cherries. With about 120 frost-free days, stay away from anything that ripens late.

Everywhere on the map

Honeyberry, Montana Black Currant (we've never seen winter damage on it, including October cold snaps of −10°F to −20°F), Red Lake currant (−40°F), Pixwell gooseberry (−40°F), Boyne raspberry (−40°F), Nanking cherry (−50°F), Success serviceberry (−50°F), Aronia Berry and the Cold Climate Blueberry Bundle.

Rootstocks, pollenizers and local troubles

Dormant apple roots are seriously hurt near 10°F while the wood above can take about −40°F, so roots live on snow. The danger here is a hard freeze after a thaw has taken the snow. At Ed Schultz's farm in Gallatin Gateway, Montana, Bud 118 has seen near −50°F under snow with no rootstock damage. Toka pollenizes Superior; check our pollination maps for other pairs. The local troubles are apple scab (UMaine lists Pristine, Enterprise, Freedom and Liberty as resistant), fire blight on pears (Seckel resists it), freeze-thaw swings that injure apricots, summer hail (it hit what the May frost left in 2023) and a short season. Paint trunks white against winter sun, and skip late nitrogen and heavy late water so trees harden off before the first September frost.

Fruit history here

Farmington's orchards produced apples and other fruit in the 1800s, though hay was the main crop and wool the big product. Weld was known for its many prolific apple orchards, and the Year Without a Summer, 1816, threatened the town with famine. Jay's early farmers grew apples on loamy, productive soil, and Avon's land along the Sandy grew grain, fruit and vegetables. Today Morrison Hill Orchard in West Farmington and Lane Road Orchard in New Sharon carry it on.

Questions people ask

What growing zone is Farmington, Maine?

On our map downtown Farmington plans for −29°F, MFTC zone 4a, with a typical winter low of −17°F. The hills around town plan for −25°F to −27°F and Farmington Falls −31°F. The 2023 USDA map moved interior Maine into 5a and 5b; USDA's zones are based on an average winter, ours on the bad night you plan for.

What zone is Rangeley, Maine?

Rangeley village plans for −37°F, MFTC zone 3a, with a typical winter of −25°F. Slopes a few hundred feet above the lake do better: Dallas Plantation plans for −33°F (zone 3b).

When is the last frost in Farmington, Maine?

NOAA station records for 1991 to 2020 put Farmington's median last 32°F at May 20 and its last 28°F at May 12, and one year in ten it comes after June 1. On the valley side at New Sharon it comes about a week earlier, May 13.

When does the ice go out on Rangeley Lake?

About May 3 on average in Maine IF&W's records since 1979; in 2026 it went out April 29. Rangeley's median last 32°F comes May 24, so frost stays in play about three weeks after ice-out.

Can you grow apples in Rangeley, Maine?

Yes, the hardiest ones. Kerr and Trailman applecrabs, Chestnut, Oriole, Wealthy and Haralson have all come through −45°F or colder, well under the village's −37°F. Plant on the slope above the lake flat, and pick earlier apples, since the frost-free season runs about 122 days.

Can you grow peaches in western Maine?

The tree can live on a good hill site, but crops will be hit and miss. Siberian C (−35°F) clears most valley floors and Contender (−30°F) the hills. UMaine says cold below about −15°F shortens peach life, and Maine had no peach crop in 2023.

Warmer spots, colder spots

Here's the number to plan for at named places on the map, warmest first. Each one is the 1-in-30-year low for that spot: the cold hardiness calculator's number from the same weather stations, sharpened by our microclimate model for the ground right there. Zone is our MFTC zone, set by that one bad night, not by an average.

The weather stations behind it

These are the long-record stations in and around this map, with each one's own numbers since the winter of 1995-96. The last column is this map's 30-year number right at the station, which won't match the station exactly: it's a blend of the stations around it, the way the calculator works everywhere.

Source: NOAA records through ACIS, winters 1995-96 through 2025-26. What the "carried forward," "gaps filled" and AWOS rows mean is explained in how our microclimate maps work.