When to plant in Sun Valley, NV
Planting dates worked out from Sun Valley's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 19
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 28
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 22
1 year in 10 by Oct 3
Frost-free days
178
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Reno Wfo · 3.5 km away · station 1520 m, town 1440 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 24 – Apr 7 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Jul 13 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 10 – Mar 24 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Jul 18 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 24 – Mar 3 | Mar 31 – Apr 14 | May 10 |
| Peas | — | Mar 17 – Apr 14 | May 11 |
| Bush beans | — | May 12 – Jun 2 | Jul 1 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 7 – May 19 | Jun 6 |
| Beet | — | Mar 31 – May 12 | May 20 |
| Potato | — | Apr 7 – Apr 28 | Jun 16 |
| Kale | Feb 17 – Mar 3 | Mar 31 – Apr 14 | May 13 |
| Broccoli | Feb 17 – Mar 3 | Mar 31 – Apr 21 | May 30 |
| Cucumber | Apr 21 – Apr 28 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Jul 8 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 21 – Apr 28 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Jul 3 |
| Winter squash | Apr 21 – Apr 28 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Aug 7 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 12 – Jun 2 | Jul 11 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 31 – Apr 21 | Jun 29 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 8 – Nov 5 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 17 – Apr 14 | Apr 24 |
| Basil | Apr 7 – Apr 21 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Jul 15 |
Sun Valley'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 |
|---|---|
| 1997 | Apr 12 |
| 1998 | May 6 |
| 1999 | May 15 |
| 2000 | May 11 |
| 2001 | Apr 21 |
| 2002 | May 21 |
| 2003 | Apr 30 |
| 2004 | Apr 22 |
| 2005 | Apr 20 |
| 2006 | Apr 18 |
| 2007 | May 5 |
| 2008 | May 1 |
| 2009 | Apr 29 |
| 2010 | May 23 |
| 2011 | May 28 |
| 2012 | Apr 12 |
| 2013 | Apr 18 |
| 2014 | Apr 23 |
| 2015 | Apr 15 |
| 2016 | Apr 25 |
| 2017 | Apr 15 |
| 2018 | Apr 17 |
| 2019 | May 1 |
| 2020 | Apr 14 |
| 2021 | Apr 26 |
| 2022 | May 11 |
| 2023 | May 4 |
| 2024 | May 5 |
| 2025 | Apr 3 |
| 2026 | Apr 17 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 182 |
| 1998 | 176 |
| 1999 | 177 |
| 2000 | 163 |
| 2001 | 215 |
| 2002 | 161 |
| 2003 | 182 |
| 2004 | 181 |
| 2005 | 198 |
| 2006 | 182 |
| 2007 | 145 |
| 2008 | 161 |
| 2009 | 157 |
| 2010 | 155 |
| 2011 | 147 |
| 2012 | 194 |
| 2013 | 178 |
| 2014 | 192 |
| 2015 | 201 |
| 2016 | 159 |
| 2017 | 179 |
| 2018 | 202 |
| 2019 | 149 |
| 2020 | 193 |
| 2021 | 167 |
| 2022 | 164 |
| 2023 | 174 |
| 2024 | 165 |
| 2025 | 229 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 19.1 °C |
| 1998 | 17.8 °C |
| 1999 | 17.9 °C |
| 2000 | 19.5 °C |
| 2001 | 20.2 °C |
| 2002 | 19.7 °C |
| 2003 | 19.6 °C |
| 2004 | 19.7 °C |
| 2005 | 18.3 °C |
| 2006 | 19.2 °C |
| 2007 | 19.1 °C |
| 2008 | 18.8 °C |
| 2009 | 19.2 °C |
| 2010 | 17.2 °C |
| 2011 | 17.9 °C |
| 2012 | 20.1 °C |
| 2013 | 19.6 °C |
| 2014 | 19.9 °C |
| 2015 | 19.3 °C |
| 2016 | 19.5 °C |
| 2017 | 19.6 °C |
| 2018 | 20.0 °C |
| 2019 | 18.6 °C |
| 2020 | 20.0 °C |
| 2021 | 20.8 °C |
| 2022 | 19.5 °C |
| 2023 | 18.6 °C |
| 2024 | 20.1 °C |
| 2025 | 20.0 °C |
| 2026 | 19.6 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1997, Sun Valley's last spring frost has come about 4 days earlier per decade, on average. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Reno Wfo (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.