When to plant in Castanea, PA
Planting dates worked out from Castanea's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 15
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 2
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 17
1 year in 10 by Oct 1
Frost-free days
166
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Lock Haven Sewage Plt · 0.9 km away · station 172 m, town 182 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 20 – Apr 3 | May 15 – May 29 | Jul 9 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 6 – Mar 20 | May 15 – May 29 | Jul 14 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 28 – Mar 7 | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | May 14 |
| Peas | — | Mar 31 – Apr 28 | May 25 |
| Bush beans | — | May 8 – May 29 | Jun 27 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 11 – May 23 | Jun 10 |
| Beet | — | Apr 8 – May 20 | May 28 |
| Potato | — | Apr 11 – May 2 | Jun 20 |
| Kale | Feb 24 – Mar 10 | Apr 7 – Apr 21 | May 20 |
| Broccoli | Feb 21 – Mar 7 | Apr 4 – Apr 25 | Jun 3 |
| Cucumber | Apr 17 – Apr 24 | May 15 – May 29 | Jul 4 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 17 – Apr 24 | May 15 – May 29 | Jun 29 |
| Winter squash | Apr 17 – Apr 24 | May 15 – May 29 | Aug 3 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 8 – May 29 | Jul 7 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 4 – Apr 25 | Jul 3 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 3 – Oct 31 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 31 – Apr 28 | May 8 |
| Basil | Apr 3 – Apr 17 | May 15 – May 29 | Jul 11 |
Castanea'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 |
|---|---|
| 1980 | May 9 |
| 1981 | May 8 |
| 1993 | Apr 29 |
| 1994 | May 13 |
| 1995 | Apr 25 |
| 1996 | May 15 |
| 1997 | May 8 |
| 1998 | Apr 28 |
| 1999 | Apr 25 |
| 2000 | Apr 14 |
| 2001 | Apr 29 |
| 2002 | May 21 |
| 2003 | Apr 24 |
| 2004 | Apr 17 |
| 2005 | May 13 |
| 2006 | Apr 29 |
| 2007 | Apr 15 |
| 2008 | May 1 |
| 2009 | May 19 |
| 2010 | May 11 |
| 2011 | Apr 22 |
| 2012 | Apr 30 |
| 2013 | May 15 |
| 2014 | Apr 25 |
| 2015 | Apr 26 |
| 2016 | May 16 |
| 2017 | May 9 |
| 2018 | Apr 23 |
| 2019 | Apr 30 |
| 2020 | May 13 |
| 2021 | Apr 26 |
| 2022 | Apr 30 |
| 2023 | May 18 |
| 2024 | Apr 26 |
| 2025 | Apr 18 |
| 2026 | Apr 22 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1980 | 153 |
| 1981 | 153 |
| 1993 | 154 |
| 1994 | 150 |
| 1995 | 174 |
| 1996 | 141 |
| 1997 | 161 |
| 1998 | 177 |
| 1999 | 164 |
| 2000 | 167 |
| 2001 | 161 |
| 2002 | 152 |
| 2003 | 159 |
| 2004 | 200 |
| 2005 | 170 |
| 2006 | 166 |
| 2007 | 196 |
| 2008 | 169 |
| 2009 | 147 |
| 2010 | 164 |
| 2011 | 188 |
| 2012 | 165 |
| 2013 | 163 |
| 2014 | 191 |
| 2015 | 175 |
| 2016 | 162 |
| 2017 | 170 |
| 2018 | 178 |
| 2019 | 170 |
| 2020 | 156 |
| 2022 | 173 |
| 2023 | 167 |
| 2024 | 183 |
| 2025 | 182 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1980 | 16.8 °C |
| 1981 | 17.2 °C |
| 1982 | 17.1 °C |
| 1990 | 17.2 °C |
| 1993 | 17.9 °C |
| 1994 | 17.4 °C |
| 1995 | 17.7 °C |
| 1996 | 17.5 °C |
| 1997 | 16.6 °C |
| 1998 | 18.6 °C |
| 1999 | 18.7 °C |
| 2000 | 17.5 °C |
| 2001 | 18.0 °C |
| 2002 | 18.6 °C |
| 2003 | 17.4 °C |
| 2004 | 18.4 °C |
| 2005 | 18.6 °C |
| 2006 | 17.9 °C |
| 2007 | 18.0 °C |
| 2008 | 17.8 °C |
| 2009 | 17.3 °C |
| 2010 | 19.0 °C |
| 2011 | 18.8 °C |
| 2012 | 18.6 °C |
| 2013 | 17.6 °C |
| 2014 | 17.4 °C |
| 2015 | 18.8 °C |
| 2016 | 19.1 °C |
| 2017 | 18.3 °C |
| 2018 | 18.6 °C |
| 2019 | 18.5 °C |
| 2020 | 18.2 °C |
| 2022 | 18.7 °C |
| 2023 | 18.1 °C |
| 2024 | 19.1 °C |
| 2025 | 18.8 °C |
| 2026 | 18.9 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1980, Castanea's last spring frost has come about 1 day earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 5 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Lock Haven Sewage Plt (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.