When to plant in Mount Vernon Triangle, DC
Planting dates worked out from Mount Vernon Triangle's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 10
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 31
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 6
1 year in 10 by Oct 25
Frost-free days
222
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Natl Arboretum Dc · 4.2 km away · station 15 m, town 15 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 | Feb 13 – Feb 27 | Apr 10 – Apr 24 | Jun 4 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 30 – Feb 13 | Apr 10 – Apr 24 | Jun 9 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 30 – Feb 6 | Mar 6 – Mar 20 | Apr 15 |
| Peas | — | Mar 6 – Apr 3 | Apr 30 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 3 – Apr 24 | May 23 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 19 – Apr 30 | May 18 |
| Beet | — | Mar 19 – Apr 30 | May 8 |
| Potato | — | Mar 19 – Apr 9 | May 28 |
| Kale | Jan 30 – Feb 13 | Mar 13 – Mar 27 | Apr 25 |
| Broccoli | Jan 23 – Feb 6 | Mar 6 – Mar 27 | May 5 |
| Cucumber | Mar 13 – Mar 20 | Apr 10 – Apr 24 | May 30 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 13 – Mar 20 | Apr 10 – Apr 24 | May 25 |
| Winter squash | Mar 13 – Mar 20 | Apr 10 – Apr 24 | Jun 29 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 3 – Apr 24 | Jun 2 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 6 – Mar 27 | Jun 4 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 23 – Nov 20 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 6 – Apr 3 | Apr 13 |
| Basil | Feb 27 – Mar 13 | Apr 10 – Apr 24 | Jun 6 |
Mount Vernon Triangle'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 |
|---|---|
| 1949 | Apr 29 |
| 1950 | Apr 17 |
| 1951 | Apr 18 |
| 1952 | Mar 18 |
| 1954 | Apr 10 |
| 1955 | Mar 29 |
| 1956 | Apr 25 |
| 1957 | Apr 14 |
| 1958 | Mar 28 |
| 1959 | Apr 13 |
| 1960 | Apr 11 |
| 1961 | Apr 4 |
| 1962 | Apr 17 |
| 1963 | Mar 24 |
| 1964 | Apr 10 |
| 1965 | Apr 5 |
| 1966 | May 10 |
| 1967 | Apr 13 |
| 1968 | Apr 7 |
| 1969 | Apr 1 |
| 1970 | Apr 6 |
| 1971 | Apr 12 |
| 1972 | Apr 10 |
| 1973 | Apr 13 |
| 1974 | Apr 11 |
| 1975 | Apr 14 |
| 1976 | Apr 12 |
| 1977 | Apr 9 |
| 1978 | Mar 19 |
| 1979 | Apr 7 |
| 1981 | Apr 16 |
| 1982 | Apr 9 |
| 1983 | Apr 17 |
| 1984 | Apr 10 |
| 1985 | Apr 11 |
| 1986 | Mar 25 |
| 1987 | Apr 27 |
| 1988 | Apr 15 |
| 1990 | Apr 19 |
| 1991 | Apr 3 |
| 1992 | Apr 4 |
| 1993 | Mar 21 |
| 1994 | Mar 26 |
| 1995 | Apr 6 |
| 1998 | Mar 26 |
| 1999 | Mar 26 |
| 2000 | Apr 9 |
| 2001 | Apr 19 |
| 2003 | Apr 1 |
| 2004 | Apr 6 |
| 2006 | Mar 23 |
| 2007 | Apr 11 |
| 2008 | Mar 30 |
| 2009 | Mar 26 |
| 2010 | Mar 28 |
| 2011 | Mar 29 |
| 2012 | Mar 27 |
| 2013 | Apr 5 |
| 2014 | Apr 6 |
| 2015 | Mar 30 |
| 2016 | Apr 10 |
| 2017 | Mar 24 |
| 2018 | Apr 8 |
| 2019 | Mar 28 |
| 2020 | Mar 9 |
| 2021 | Apr 3 |
| 2022 | Mar 30 |
| 2023 | May 10 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1949 | 190 |
| 1950 | 192 |
| 1951 | 200 |
| 1954 | 204 |
| 1955 | 221 |
| 1956 | 207 |
| 1957 | 196 |
| 1958 | 239 |
| 1959 | 198 |
| 1960 | 197 |
| 1961 | 220 |
| 1962 | 198 |
| 1963 | 224 |
| 1964 | 184 |
| 1965 | 206 |
| 1966 | 173 |
| 1967 | 199 |
| 1968 | 206 |
| 1969 | 205 |
| 1970 | 224 |
| 1971 | 206 |
| 1972 | 183 |
| 1973 | 208 |
| 1974 | 175 |
| 1975 | 199 |
| 1976 | 189 |
| 1977 | 191 |
| 1978 | 227 |
| 1979 | 211 |
| 1981 | 186 |
| 1982 | 191 |
| 1983 | 195 |
| 1984 | 211 |
| 1985 | 200 |
| 1986 | 207 |
| 1987 | 164 |
| 1988 | 174 |
| 1990 | 190 |
| 1991 | 209 |
| 1992 | 198 |
| 1993 | 225 |
| 1994 | 229 |
| 1998 | 223 |
| 1999 | 222 |
| 2000 | 203 |
| 2001 | 172 |
| 2003 | 221 |
| 2004 | 217 |
| 2006 | 225 |
| 2007 | 210 |
| 2008 | 233 |
| 2009 | 225 |
| 2010 | 228 |
| 2011 | 215 |
| 2012 | 223 |
| 2013 | 203 |
| 2014 | 215 |
| 2015 | 235 |
| 2016 | 216 |
| 2017 | 231 |
| 2018 | 216 |
| 2019 | 225 |
| 2020 | 254 |
| 2021 | 216 |
| 2022 | 232 |
| 2023 | 175 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1949 | 21.3 °C |
| 1950 | 20.1 °C |
| 1951 | 20.8 °C |
| 1954 | 21.8 °C |
| 1955 | 22.2 °C |
| 1956 | 20.6 °C |
| 1957 | 22.4 °C |
| 1958 | 20.7 °C |
| 1959 | 22.6 °C |
| 1960 | 21.4 °C |
| 1961 | 20.9 °C |
| 1962 | 21.2 °C |
| 1963 | 20.8 °C |
| 1964 | 21.1 °C |
| 1965 | 21.1 °C |
| 1966 | 20.7 °C |
| 1967 | 20.0 °C |
| 1968 | 21.1 °C |
| 1969 | 21.3 °C |
| 1970 | 21.5 °C |
| 1971 | 20.6 °C |
| 1972 | 20.2 °C |
| 1973 | 20.9 °C |
| 1974 | 20.4 °C |
| 1975 | 20.2 °C |
| 1976 | 20.4 °C |
| 1977 | 21.4 °C |
| 1978 | 20.7 °C |
| 1979 | 19.9 °C |
| 1980 | 21.2 °C |
| 1981 | 20.4 °C |
| 1982 | 20.0 °C |
| 1983 | 20.3 °C |
| 1984 | 19.6 °C |
| 1985 | 20.6 °C |
| 1986 | 20.1 °C |
| 1987 | 20.8 °C |
| 1988 | 20.5 °C |
| 1989 | 19.6 °C |
| 1990 | 20.4 °C |
| 1991 | 22.5 °C |
| 1992 | 19.7 °C |
| 1993 | 21.3 °C |
| 1994 | 21.1 °C |
| 1996 | 20.2 °C |
| 1997 | 19.5 °C |
| 1998 | 22.3 °C |
| 1999 | 22.0 °C |
| 2000 | 20.8 °C |
| 2001 | 21.3 °C |
| 2003 | 20.5 °C |
| 2004 | 21.7 °C |
| 2006 | 21.6 °C |
| 2007 | 21.8 °C |
| 2008 | 21.2 °C |
| 2009 | 22.7 °C |
| 2010 | 22.9 °C |
| 2011 | 23.1 °C |
| 2012 | 22.6 °C |
| 2013 | 21.7 °C |
| 2014 | 21.9 °C |
| 2015 | 22.6 °C |
| 2016 | 22.5 °C |
| 2017 | 22.2 °C |
| 2018 | 22.8 °C |
| 2019 | 23.2 °C |
| 2020 | 21.5 °C |
| 2021 | 22.3 °C |
| 2022 | 22.1 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1949, Mount Vernon Triangle'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 Natl Arboretum Dc (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.