When to plant in Burnham, PA
Planting dates worked out from Burnham's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 7
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 20
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 21
1 year in 10 by Oct 6
Frost-free days
186
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Lewistown · 5.8 km away · station 140 m, town 171 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 12 – Mar 26 | May 7 – May 21 | Jul 1 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | May 7 – May 21 | Jul 6 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 19 – Feb 26 | Mar 26 – Apr 9 | May 5 |
| Peas | — | Mar 26 – Apr 23 | May 20 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 30 – May 21 | Jun 19 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 4 – May 16 | Jun 3 |
| Beet | — | Apr 4 – May 16 | May 24 |
| Potato | — | Apr 4 – Apr 25 | Jun 13 |
| Kale | Feb 19 – Mar 5 | Apr 2 – Apr 16 | May 15 |
| Broccoli | Feb 12 – Feb 26 | Mar 26 – Apr 16 | May 25 |
| Cucumber | Apr 9 – Apr 16 | May 7 – May 21 | Jun 26 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 9 – Apr 16 | May 7 – May 21 | Jun 21 |
| Winter squash | Apr 9 – Apr 16 | May 7 – May 21 | Jul 26 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 30 – May 21 | Jun 29 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 26 – Apr 16 | Jun 24 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 7 – Nov 4 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 26 – Apr 23 | May 3 |
| Basil | Mar 26 – Apr 9 | May 7 – May 21 | Jul 3 |
Burnham'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 |
|---|---|
| 1939 | Apr 21 |
| 1940 | Apr 28 |
| 1941 | Apr 25 |
| 1942 | Apr 14 |
| 1943 | Apr 23 |
| 1946 | Apr 21 |
| 1947 | May 12 |
| 1949 | Apr 30 |
| 1950 | Apr 23 |
| 1951 | Apr 24 |
| 1952 | Apr 10 |
| 1953 | Apr 23 |
| 1954 | Apr 10 |
| 1955 | Apr 9 |
| 1956 | May 18 |
| 1957 | May 5 |
| 1958 | Apr 10 |
| 1959 | Apr 25 |
| 1960 | May 3 |
| 1961 | Apr 21 |
| 1962 | May 11 |
| 1963 | May 25 |
| 1964 | Apr 17 |
| 1965 | Apr 6 |
| 1966 | May 12 |
| 1967 | Apr 30 |
| 1968 | May 8 |
| 1969 | Apr 8 |
| 1971 | Apr 12 |
| 1972 | Apr 29 |
| 1973 | Apr 15 |
| 1974 | May 8 |
| 1975 | Apr 22 |
| 1976 | May 9 |
| 1977 | Apr 30 |
| 1978 | May 1 |
| 1979 | May 2 |
| 1980 | Apr 19 |
| 1981 | May 18 |
| 1983 | May 8 |
| 1984 | May 16 |
| 1985 | May 4 |
| 1986 | Apr 23 |
| 1987 | Apr 1 |
| 1988 | Apr 25 |
| 1989 | Apr 23 |
| 1990 | Apr 19 |
| 1991 | Apr 3 |
| 1992 | Apr 13 |
| 1993 | Apr 26 |
| 1994 | Apr 22 |
| 1995 | Apr 27 |
| 1997 | Apr 21 |
| 1998 | Apr 11 |
| 1999 | Apr 26 |
| 2000 | Apr 14 |
| 2001 | Apr 30 |
| 2002 | May 21 |
| 2003 | Apr 9 |
| 2004 | Apr 17 |
| 2005 | May 6 |
| 2006 | Apr 26 |
| 2007 | Apr 15 |
| 2009 | Apr 17 |
| 2010 | Mar 28 |
| 2011 | Apr 7 |
| 2012 | Apr 29 |
| 2013 | May 14 |
| 2014 | Apr 18 |
| 2015 | Apr 13 |
| 2016 | Apr 15 |
| 2017 | Apr 10 |
| 2018 | Apr 22 |
| 2019 | Apr 4 |
| 2020 | May 10 |
| 2021 | Apr 23 |
| 2022 | May 1 |
| 2023 | Apr 26 |
| 2024 | Apr 23 |
| 2025 | Apr 18 |
| 2026 | Apr 22 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1939 | 175 |
| 1940 | 171 |
| 1941 | 174 |
| 1943 | 155 |
| 1946 | 207 |
| 1947 | 137 |
| 1949 | 179 |
| 1950 | 186 |
| 1951 | 168 |
| 1952 | 176 |
| 1953 | 167 |
| 1954 | 180 |
| 1955 | 196 |
| 1956 | 126 |
| 1957 | 144 |
| 1958 | 174 |
| 1959 | 176 |
| 1960 | 175 |
| 1961 | 189 |
| 1962 | 166 |
| 1963 | 121 |
| 1964 | 172 |
| 1965 | 182 |
| 1966 | 161 |
| 1967 | 173 |
| 1968 | 175 |
| 1969 | 197 |
| 1971 | 183 |
| 1973 | 186 |
| 1974 | 138 |
| 1976 | 162 |
| 1977 | 170 |
| 1978 | 168 |
| 1981 | 137 |
| 1983 | 136 |
| 1984 | 137 |
| 1985 | 176 |
| 1986 | 169 |
| 1987 | 189 |
| 1988 | 164 |
| 1989 | 193 |
| 1990 | 189 |
| 1991 | 192 |
| 1993 | 156 |
| 1994 | 171 |
| 1995 | 136 |
| 1997 | 184 |
| 1998 | 201 |
| 1999 | 184 |
| 2001 | 160 |
| 2002 | 153 |
| 2003 | 198 |
| 2004 | 205 |
| 2005 | 177 |
| 2006 | 169 |
| 2007 | 196 |
| 2009 | 181 |
| 2010 | 217 |
| 2011 | 203 |
| 2012 | 166 |
| 2013 | 164 |
| 2014 | 203 |
| 2015 | 188 |
| 2016 | 193 |
| 2017 | 208 |
| 2018 | 195 |
| 2019 | 211 |
| 2020 | 131 |
| 2021 | 155 |
| 2022 | 172 |
| 2023 | 188 |
| 2024 | 187 |
| 2025 | 190 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1939 | 19.6 °C |
| 1940 | 18.2 °C |
| 1941 | 19.8 °C |
| 1943 | 19.2 °C |
| 1946 | 18.0 °C |
| 1947 | 18.7 °C |
| 1949 | 18.7 °C |
| 1950 | 17.2 °C |
| 1951 | 18.1 °C |
| 1952 | 18.8 °C |
| 1953 | 18.3 °C |
| 1954 | 18.0 °C |
| 1955 | 19.4 °C |
| 1956 | 17.1 °C |
| 1957 | 18.6 °C |
| 1958 | 17.7 °C |
| 1959 | 19.4 °C |
| 1960 | 18.5 °C |
| 1962 | 18.2 °C |
| 1963 | 17.4 °C |
| 1964 | 18.1 °C |
| 1965 | 18.2 °C |
| 1966 | 17.7 °C |
| 1967 | 17.4 °C |
| 1968 | 18.4 °C |
| 1969 | 19.0 °C |
| 1971 | 18.6 °C |
| 1973 | 18.5 °C |
| 1974 | 18.1 °C |
| 1976 | 17.7 °C |
| 1977 | 19.3 °C |
| 1978 | 18.7 °C |
| 1985 | 18.0 °C |
| 1986 | 18.5 °C |
| 1987 | 18.6 °C |
| 1988 | 18.4 °C |
| 1989 | 17.7 °C |
| 1990 | 17.6 °C |
| 1991 | 19.4 °C |
| 1993 | 18.4 °C |
| 1994 | 18.1 °C |
| 1995 | 17.9 °C |
| 1997 | 17.1 °C |
| 1998 | 19.0 °C |
| 1999 | 18.9 °C |
| 2000 | 17.8 °C |
| 2001 | 18.2 °C |
| 2002 | 19.1 °C |
| 2003 | 18.0 °C |
| 2004 | 18.6 °C |
| 2005 | 19.1 °C |
| 2006 | 18.5 °C |
| 2007 | 18.4 °C |
| 2009 | 17.7 °C |
| 2010 | 19.8 °C |
| 2011 | 19.6 °C |
| 2012 | 19.1 °C |
| 2013 | 18.8 °C |
| 2014 | 18.1 °C |
| 2015 | 19.3 °C |
| 2016 | 19.6 °C |
| 2017 | 18.8 °C |
| 2018 | 19.2 °C |
| 2019 | 19.6 °C |
| 2020 | 18.5 °C |
| 2021 | 19.1 °C |
| 2022 | 19.0 °C |
| 2023 | 18.4 °C |
| 2024 | 19.3 °C |
| 2025 | 18.7 °C |
| 2026 | 18.9 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1939, Burnham's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. The frost-free season has grown by about 2 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Lewistown (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.