When to plant in Cheltenham, PA
Planting dates worked out from Cheltenham's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 17
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 6
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 1
1 year in 10 by Oct 20
Frost-free days
213
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Ne Phila Ap · 7.2 km away · station 33 m, town 39 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 20 – Mar 6 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jun 11 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 6 – Feb 20 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jun 16 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 9 – Feb 16 | Mar 16 – Mar 30 | Apr 25 |
| Peas | — | Mar 16 – Apr 13 | May 10 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 10 – May 1 | May 30 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 27 – May 8 | May 26 |
| Beet | — | Mar 27 – May 8 | May 16 |
| Potato | — | Mar 27 – Apr 17 | Jun 5 |
| Kale | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | May 5 |
| Broccoli | Feb 2 – Feb 16 | Mar 16 – Apr 6 | May 15 |
| Cucumber | Mar 20 – Mar 27 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jun 6 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 20 – Mar 27 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jun 1 |
| Winter squash | Mar 20 – Mar 27 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jul 6 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 10 – May 1 | Jun 9 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 16 – Apr 6 | Jun 14 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 18 – Nov 15 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 16 – Apr 13 | Apr 23 |
| Basil | Mar 6 – Mar 20 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jun 13 |
Cheltenham'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 |
|---|---|
| 1958 | Apr 9 |
| 1959 | Mar 29 |
| 1960 | Apr 20 |
| 1961 | Apr 20 |
| 1962 | Apr 17 |
| 1963 | Apr 6 |
| 1964 | Apr 6 |
| 1965 | Apr 5 |
| 1966 | May 5 |
| 1968 | Apr 6 |
| 1969 | Apr 13 |
| 1970 | Apr 12 |
| 1971 | Apr 9 |
| 1972 | Apr 9 |
| 1973 | Apr 15 |
| 1974 | Apr 10 |
| 1975 | Apr 22 |
| 1976 | Apr 13 |
| 1977 | Apr 10 |
| 1978 | May 1 |
| 1979 | Apr 11 |
| 1980 | Apr 17 |
| 1981 | Mar 26 |
| 1982 | Apr 12 |
| 1983 | Apr 20 |
| 1984 | Apr 1 |
| 1985 | Apr 10 |
| 1986 | Apr 14 |
| 1987 | Apr 2 |
| 1988 | Mar 23 |
| 1989 | Apr 24 |
| 1990 | Apr 19 |
| 1991 | Apr 1 |
| 1992 | Apr 13 |
| 1993 | Mar 23 |
| 1994 | Apr 8 |
| 1995 | Apr 6 |
| 1997 | Apr 11 |
| 1998 | Mar 25 |
| 1999 | Mar 27 |
| 2000 | Apr 14 |
| 2001 | Apr 19 |
| 2002 | Apr 7 |
| 2003 | Apr 7 |
| 2004 | Apr 6 |
| 2005 | Mar 22 |
| 2006 | Mar 22 |
| 2007 | Apr 11 |
| 2008 | Apr 3 |
| 2009 | Apr 13 |
| 2010 | Mar 28 |
| 2011 | Mar 30 |
| 2012 | Apr 28 |
| 2013 | Apr 4 |
| 2014 | Apr 17 |
| 2015 | Apr 2 |
| 2016 | Apr 10 |
| 2017 | Mar 23 |
| 2018 | Apr 11 |
| 2019 | Apr 2 |
| 2020 | Apr 19 |
| 2021 | Apr 3 |
| 2022 | Apr 18 |
| 2023 | Apr 3 |
| 2024 | Mar 25 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1958 | 179 |
| 1959 | 212 |
| 1960 | 183 |
| 1961 | 190 |
| 1962 | 190 |
| 1963 | 220 |
| 1964 | 188 |
| 1965 | 206 |
| 1966 | 177 |
| 1968 | 208 |
| 1969 | 192 |
| 1970 | 218 |
| 1971 | 211 |
| 1972 | 193 |
| 1973 | 205 |
| 1974 | 191 |
| 1975 | 191 |
| 1976 | 188 |
| 1977 | 215 |
| 1978 | 169 |
| 1979 | 197 |
| 1980 | 196 |
| 1981 | 207 |
| 1982 | 188 |
| 1983 | 184 |
| 1984 | 215 |
| 1985 | 227 |
| 1986 | 212 |
| 1987 | 206 |
| 1988 | 199 |
| 1989 | 193 |
| 1990 | 193 |
| 1991 | 202 |
| 1992 | 189 |
| 1993 | 225 |
| 1994 | 217 |
| 1995 | 212 |
| 1997 | 194 |
| 1998 | 224 |
| 1999 | 225 |
| 2000 | 215 |
| 2001 | 172 |
| 2002 | 207 |
| 2003 | 198 |
| 2004 | 216 |
| 2005 | 234 |
| 2006 | 218 |
| 2007 | 210 |
| 2008 | 203 |
| 2009 | 206 |
| 2010 | 218 |
| 2011 | 214 |
| 2012 | 167 |
| 2013 | 213 |
| 2015 | 199 |
| 2016 | 217 |
| 2017 | 231 |
| 2018 | 213 |
| 2019 | 215 |
| 2020 | 194 |
| 2021 | 214 |
| 2022 | 209 |
| 2023 | 212 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1957 | 19.6 °C |
| 1958 | 18.5 °C |
| 1959 | 20.1 °C |
| 1960 | 19.3 °C |
| 1961 | 18.9 °C |
| 1962 | 18.5 °C |
| 1963 | 18.4 °C |
| 1964 | 19.0 °C |
| 1965 | 19.2 °C |
| 1966 | 18.9 °C |
| 1968 | 19.7 °C |
| 1969 | 19.8 °C |
| 1970 | 19.8 °C |
| 1971 | 19.3 °C |
| 1972 | 18.8 °C |
| 1973 | 19.9 °C |
| 1974 | 19.3 °C |
| 1975 | 19.0 °C |
| 1976 | 19.4 °C |
| 1977 | 20.0 °C |
| 1978 | 18.8 °C |
| 1979 | 19.2 °C |
| 1980 | 20.6 °C |
| 1981 | 20.1 °C |
| 1982 | 19.3 °C |
| 1983 | 20.1 °C |
| 1984 | 19.2 °C |
| 1985 | 19.9 °C |
| 1986 | 19.5 °C |
| 1987 | 20.0 °C |
| 1988 | 19.7 °C |
| 1989 | 19.5 °C |
| 1990 | 19.4 °C |
| 1991 | 20.8 °C |
| 1992 | 18.8 °C |
| 1993 | 20.5 °C |
| 1994 | 20.3 °C |
| 1995 | 20.1 °C |
| 1997 | 18.7 °C |
| 1998 | 20.2 °C |
| 1999 | 20.3 °C |
| 2000 | 19.0 °C |
| 2001 | 20.3 °C |
| 2002 | 20.6 °C |
| 2003 | 19.4 °C |
| 2004 | 20.4 °C |
| 2005 | 20.9 °C |
| 2006 | 20.7 °C |
| 2007 | 20.7 °C |
| 2008 | 21.2 °C |
| 2009 | 19.4 °C |
| 2010 | 21.8 °C |
| 2011 | 21.2 °C |
| 2012 | 20.7 °C |
| 2013 | 20.0 °C |
| 2015 | 21.9 °C |
| 2016 | 21.4 °C |
| 2017 | 21.1 °C |
| 2018 | 21.8 °C |
| 2019 | 22.3 °C |
| 2020 | 20.7 °C |
| 2021 | 20.7 °C |
| 2022 | 21.2 °C |
| 2023 | 20.8 °C |
| 2024 | 21.8 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1958, Cheltenham's last spring frost has come about 1 day 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 Ne Phila Ap (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.