When to plant in Georgia Avenue / Walter Reed, DC
Planting dates worked out from Georgia Avenue / Walter Reed's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 29
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 9
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 29
1 year in 10 by Oct 8
Frost-free days
206
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Dalecarlia Rsvr · 9.0 km away · station 46 m, town 95 m. How we match towns to stations
This season
Plan your garden.
Planting dates for common crops
| Crop | Start indoors | Plant out or sow | Harvest from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Mar 4 – Mar 18 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 23 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 18 – Mar 4 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 28 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 5 – Feb 12 | Mar 12 – Mar 26 | Apr 21 |
| Peas | — | Mar 8 – Apr 5 | May 2 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 22 – May 13 | Jun 11 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 20 – May 1 | May 19 |
| Beet | — | Mar 20 – May 1 | May 9 |
| Potato | — | Mar 20 – Apr 10 | May 29 |
| Kale | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Mar 15 – Mar 29 | Apr 27 |
| Broccoli | Jan 29 – Feb 12 | Mar 12 – Apr 2 | May 11 |
| Cucumber | Apr 1 – Apr 8 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 18 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 1 – Apr 8 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 13 |
| Winter squash | Apr 1 – Apr 8 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jul 18 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 22 – May 13 | Jun 21 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 12 – Apr 2 | Jun 10 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 15 – Nov 12 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 8 – Apr 5 | Apr 15 |
| Basil | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 25 |
Georgia Avenue / Walter Reed's weather over time
How the growing season has shifted here, year by year, from the station's own records.
Each year's last spring frostLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Last spring frost |
|---|---|
| 1950 | Apr 17 |
| 1951 | Apr 18 |
| 1952 | Apr 9 |
| 1953 | Apr 22 |
| 1954 | Apr 4 |
| 1955 | Apr 5 |
| 1956 | Apr 25 |
| 1957 | Apr 15 |
| 1958 | Apr 4 |
| 1959 | Apr 14 |
| 1960 | Apr 11 |
| 1961 | Apr 13 |
| 1962 | Apr 17 |
| 1963 | Apr 12 |
| 1965 | Apr 5 |
| 1966 | May 10 |
| 1967 | Apr 12 |
| 1968 | Apr 16 |
| 1969 | Apr 4 |
| 1970 | May 7 |
| 1971 | Apr 1 |
| 1972 | Apr 10 |
| 1973 | Apr 15 |
| 1974 | Apr 11 |
| 1975 | Apr 14 |
| 1976 | May 4 |
| 1977 | Apr 10 |
| 1979 | Apr 7 |
| 1980 | Apr 17 |
| 1981 | Apr 7 |
| 1982 | Apr 23 |
| 1983 | Apr 21 |
| 1984 | Apr 7 |
| 1985 | Apr 9 |
| 1986 | May 3 |
| 1987 | Apr 4 |
| 1988 | Apr 20 |
| 1989 | Apr 24 |
| 1990 | Apr 19 |
| 1991 | Apr 23 |
| 1992 | Jun 23 |
| 1993 | May 22 |
| 1994 | Apr 6 |
| 1996 | Apr 11 |
| 1998 | Apr 11 |
| 1999 | Mar 26 |
| 2000 | Apr 9 |
| 2001 | Apr 19 |
| 2002 | Apr 8 |
| 2005 | May 3 |
| 2006 | Mar 23 |
| 2007 | Apr 12 |
| 2008 | Mar 31 |
| 2009 | Mar 26 |
| 2010 | Mar 28 |
| 2011 | Mar 30 |
| 2012 | Mar 11 |
| 2013 | Apr 5 |
| 2014 | Apr 17 |
| 2015 | Apr 1 |
| 2016 | Apr 11 |
| 2017 | Mar 24 |
| 2019 | Apr 3 |
| 2020 | Mar 9 |
| 2021 | Apr 23 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 192 |
| 1951 | 199 |
| 1952 | 194 |
| 1953 | 197 |
| 1954 | 209 |
| 1955 | 214 |
| 1956 | 148 |
| 1957 | 195 |
| 1958 | 217 |
| 1959 | 202 |
| 1960 | 197 |
| 1961 | 197 |
| 1962 | 190 |
| 1963 | 205 |
| 1965 | 203 |
| 1966 | 163 |
| 1967 | 199 |
| 1968 | 196 |
| 1970 | 193 |
| 1971 | 217 |
| 1972 | 192 |
| 1973 | 204 |
| 1974 | 174 |
| 1975 | 199 |
| 1976 | 167 |
| 1977 | 190 |
| 1979 | 185 |
| 1980 | 179 |
| 1981 | 195 |
| 1982 | 177 |
| 1983 | 186 |
| 1985 | 202 |
| 1986 | 168 |
| 1987 | 187 |
| 1988 | 170 |
| 1989 | 167 |
| 1990 | 183 |
| 1991 | 166 |
| 1992 | 99 |
| 1993 | 140 |
| 1994 | 204 |
| 1996 | 176 |
| 1998 | 205 |
| 1999 | 235 |
| 2000 | 206 |
| 2001 | 171 |
| 2002 | 206 |
| 2005 | 191 |
| 2006 | 225 |
| 2007 | 209 |
| 2008 | 212 |
| 2009 | 225 |
| 2010 | 229 |
| 2011 | 213 |
| 2012 | 247 |
| 2013 | 203 |
| 2014 | 204 |
| 2015 | 200 |
| 2016 | 214 |
| 2017 | 231 |
| 2019 | 212 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 19.7 °C |
| 1951 | 20.5 °C |
| 1952 | 21.1 °C |
| 1953 | 21.2 °C |
| 1954 | 20.8 °C |
| 1955 | 21.4 °C |
| 1956 | 20.0 °C |
| 1957 | 21.7 °C |
| 1958 | 20.0 °C |
| 1959 | 21.8 °C |
| 1960 | 20.9 °C |
| 1961 | 20.1 °C |
| 1962 | 20.4 °C |
| 1963 | 19.9 °C |
| 1965 | 21.2 °C |
| 1967 | 19.9 °C |
| 1969 | 21.3 °C |
| 1970 | 21.6 °C |
| 1971 | 20.7 °C |
| 1972 | 20.5 °C |
| 1974 | 20.5 °C |
| 1975 | 20.5 °C |
| 1976 | 20.5 °C |
| 1977 | 21.5 °C |
| 1979 | 20.2 °C |
| 1980 | 21.6 °C |
| 1981 | 20.7 °C |
| 1982 | 20.1 °C |
| 1983 | 20.9 °C |
| 1984 | 21.1 °C |
| 1985 | 21.9 °C |
| 1986 | 21.6 °C |
| 1987 | 22.2 °C |
| 1988 | 20.8 °C |
| 1989 | 19.7 °C |
| 1990 | 19.6 °C |
| 1991 | 21.0 °C |
| 1992 | 17.4 °C |
| 1993 | 20.8 °C |
| 1994 | 20.6 °C |
| 1996 | 20.3 °C |
| 1998 | 22.8 °C |
| 1999 | 22.4 °C |
| 2001 | 21.3 °C |
| 2002 | 22.5 °C |
| 2005 | 21.2 °C |
| 2006 | 21.7 °C |
| 2007 | 20.9 °C |
| 2008 | 20.7 °C |
| 2009 | 20.8 °C |
| 2010 | 22.6 °C |
| 2011 | 22.2 °C |
| 2012 | 21.6 °C |
| 2013 | 20.6 °C |
| 2014 | 20.4 °C |
| 2015 | 21.7 °C |
| 2016 | 21.6 °C |
| 2017 | 21.5 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1950, Georgia Avenue / Walter Reed's last spring frost has come about 2 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 3 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Dalecarlia Rsvr (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.