When to plant in Mount Vernon, NY
Planting dates worked out from Mount Vernon's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 14
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 25
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 21
1 year in 10 by Oct 8
Frost-free days
178
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Dobbs Ferry-Ardsley · 10.5 km away · station 61 m, town 33 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 19 – Apr 2 | May 14 – May 28 | Jul 8 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 5 – Mar 19 | May 14 – May 28 | Jul 13 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 21 – Feb 28 | Mar 28 – Apr 11 | May 7 |
| Peas | — | Mar 23 – Apr 20 | May 17 |
| Bush beans | — | May 7 – May 28 | Jun 26 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 4 – May 16 | Jun 3 |
| Beet | — | Apr 2 – May 14 | May 22 |
| Potato | — | Apr 4 – Apr 25 | Jun 13 |
| Kale | Feb 16 – Mar 2 | Mar 30 – Apr 13 | May 12 |
| Broccoli | Feb 14 – Feb 28 | Mar 28 – Apr 18 | May 27 |
| Cucumber | Apr 16 – Apr 23 | May 14 – May 28 | Jul 3 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 16 – Apr 23 | May 14 – May 28 | Jun 28 |
| Winter squash | Apr 16 – Apr 23 | May 14 – May 28 | Aug 2 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 7 – May 28 | Jul 6 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 28 – Apr 18 | Jun 26 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 7 – Nov 4 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 23 – Apr 20 | Apr 30 |
| Basil | Apr 2 – Apr 16 | May 14 – May 28 | Jul 10 |
Mount Vernon'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 |
|---|---|
| 1946 | Apr 11 |
| 1947 | Apr 28 |
| 1948 | Apr 18 |
| 1949 | Mar 21 |
| 1950 | Apr 15 |
| 1951 | Mar 27 |
| 1952 | Apr 12 |
| 1953 | Mar 21 |
| 1954 | Apr 5 |
| 1955 | Apr 8 |
| 1956 | Apr 25 |
| 1957 | Apr 16 |
| 1958 | Apr 10 |
| 1959 | Apr 13 |
| 1960 | Apr 11 |
| 1961 | Apr 20 |
| 1962 | Apr 18 |
| 1963 | Apr 6 |
| 1964 | Apr 6 |
| 1965 | Apr 5 |
| 1966 | Apr 12 |
| 1967 | Apr 13 |
| 1968 | Apr 6 |
| 1969 | Apr 3 |
| 1970 | Apr 12 |
| 1971 | Apr 15 |
| 1972 | Apr 10 |
| 1973 | Apr 14 |
| 1974 | Apr 10 |
| 1975 | Apr 22 |
| 1976 | Apr 12 |
| 1977 | Apr 10 |
| 1978 | Apr 10 |
| 1979 | Apr 8 |
| 1980 | Apr 17 |
| 1981 | Apr 22 |
| 1982 | Apr 23 |
| 1983 | Mar 31 |
| 1984 | Apr 22 |
| 1985 | Apr 10 |
| 1986 | Mar 25 |
| 1987 | Apr 2 |
| 1988 | Apr 13 |
| 1989 | Apr 12 |
| 1990 | Apr 19 |
| 1991 | Apr 19 |
| 1992 | Apr 15 |
| 1993 | Apr 28 |
| 1994 | May 14 |
| 1995 | May 7 |
| 1996 | May 14 |
| 1998 | Apr 28 |
| 1999 | Apr 25 |
| 2000 | Apr 14 |
| 2001 | May 7 |
| 2002 | May 21 |
| 2003 | Apr 14 |
| 2004 | Apr 10 |
| 2005 | Apr 17 |
| 2006 | Apr 11 |
| 2007 | Apr 11 |
| 2008 | May 1 |
| 2009 | Apr 17 |
| 2012 | Apr 30 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1946 | 218 |
| 1947 | 195 |
| 1948 | 183 |
| 1949 | 229 |
| 1950 | 194 |
| 1951 | 221 |
| 1952 | 190 |
| 1953 | 229 |
| 1954 | 214 |
| 1955 | 214 |
| 1956 | 198 |
| 1957 | 193 |
| 1958 | 211 |
| 1959 | 198 |
| 1960 | 209 |
| 1961 | 203 |
| 1962 | 189 |
| 1963 | 232 |
| 1964 | 200 |
| 1965 | 206 |
| 1966 | 201 |
| 1967 | 199 |
| 1968 | 220 |
| 1969 | 202 |
| 1970 | 218 |
| 1971 | 206 |
| 1972 | 192 |
| 1973 | 207 |
| 1974 | 191 |
| 1975 | 191 |
| 1976 | 189 |
| 1977 | 196 |
| 1978 | 190 |
| 1979 | 220 |
| 1980 | 189 |
| 1981 | 185 |
| 1982 | 182 |
| 1983 | 204 |
| 1984 | 194 |
| 1985 | 219 |
| 1986 | 219 |
| 1987 | 222 |
| 1988 | 200 |
| 1989 | 205 |
| 1990 | 191 |
| 1991 | 184 |
| 1992 | 173 |
| 1993 | 165 |
| 1994 | 150 |
| 1995 | 181 |
| 1996 | 142 |
| 1998 | 189 |
| 1999 | 165 |
| 2000 | 178 |
| 2001 | 154 |
| 2002 | 146 |
| 2004 | 207 |
| 2005 | 208 |
| 2006 | 185 |
| 2007 | 210 |
| 2008 | 171 |
| 2009 | 179 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1946 | 17.9 °C |
| 1947 | 18.0 °C |
| 1948 | 18.2 °C |
| 1949 | 19.6 °C |
| 1950 | 17.7 °C |
| 1951 | 18.7 °C |
| 1952 | 19.4 °C |
| 1953 | 19.4 °C |
| 1954 | 18.9 °C |
| 1955 | 20.2 °C |
| 1956 | 17.9 °C |
| 1957 | 19.6 °C |
| 1958 | 18.6 °C |
| 1959 | 19.9 °C |
| 1960 | 18.9 °C |
| 1961 | 18.9 °C |
| 1962 | 18.5 °C |
| 1963 | 18.4 °C |
| 1964 | 19.1 °C |
| 1965 | 19.2 °C |
| 1966 | 18.6 °C |
| 1967 | 18.2 °C |
| 1968 | 19.3 °C |
| 1969 | 19.6 °C |
| 1970 | 19.7 °C |
| 1971 | 19.2 °C |
| 1972 | 18.9 °C |
| 1973 | 19.7 °C |
| 1974 | 19.4 °C |
| 1975 | 18.9 °C |
| 1976 | 19.3 °C |
| 1977 | 19.8 °C |
| 1978 | 18.7 °C |
| 1979 | 19.0 °C |
| 1980 | 20.5 °C |
| 1981 | 19.8 °C |
| 1982 | 18.8 °C |
| 1983 | 19.8 °C |
| 1984 | 19.2 °C |
| 1985 | 19.5 °C |
| 1986 | 19.1 °C |
| 1987 | 19.3 °C |
| 1988 | 19.4 °C |
| 1989 | 18.9 °C |
| 1990 | 18.2 °C |
| 1991 | 19.5 °C |
| 1992 | 17.2 °C |
| 1993 | 18.8 °C |
| 1994 | 18.7 °C |
| 1995 | 18.4 °C |
| 1996 | 18.0 °C |
| 1998 | 19.1 °C |
| 1999 | 19.2 °C |
| 2000 | 18.0 °C |
| 2001 | 18.6 °C |
| 2002 | 19.5 °C |
| 2004 | 19.1 °C |
| 2006 | 19.2 °C |
| 2007 | 18.8 °C |
| 2008 | 19.2 °C |
| 2009 | 18.5 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1946, Mount Vernon's last spring frost has come about 3 days later per decade, on average. The frost-free season has shrunk by about 6 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Dobbs Ferry-Ardsley (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.