When to plant in Highspire, PA
Planting dates worked out from Highspire's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 22
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 10
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 1
1 year in 10 by Oct 15
Frost-free days
206
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Middletown Harrisburg Intl Ap · 2.3 km away · station 91 m, town 97 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 25 – Mar 11 | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jun 16 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 11 – Feb 25 | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jun 21 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 12 – Feb 19 | Mar 19 – Apr 2 | Apr 28 |
| Peas | — | Mar 19 – Apr 16 | May 13 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 15 – May 6 | Jun 4 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 30 – May 11 | May 29 |
| Beet | — | Mar 30 – May 11 | May 19 |
| Potato | — | Mar 30 – Apr 20 | Jun 8 |
| Kale | Feb 12 – Feb 26 | Mar 26 – Apr 9 | May 8 |
| Broccoli | Feb 5 – Feb 19 | Mar 19 – Apr 9 | May 18 |
| Cucumber | Mar 25 – Apr 1 | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jun 11 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 25 – Apr 1 | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jun 6 |
| Winter squash | Mar 25 – Apr 1 | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jul 11 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 15 – May 6 | Jun 14 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 19 – Apr 9 | Jun 17 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 17 – Nov 14 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 19 – Apr 16 | Apr 26 |
| Basil | Mar 11 – Mar 25 | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jun 18 |
Highspire'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 |
|---|---|
| 1941 | Apr 25 |
| 1942 | Apr 14 |
| 1943 | May 2 |
| 1944 | Apr 29 |
| 1946 | Apr 17 |
| 1947 | Apr 28 |
| 1948 | Apr 18 |
| 1949 | Apr 29 |
| 1950 | Apr 16 |
| 1951 | Mar 27 |
| 1952 | Apr 9 |
| 1953 | Apr 22 |
| 1954 | Apr 4 |
| 1955 | Apr 8 |
| 1956 | Apr 25 |
| 1957 | May 4 |
| 1958 | Apr 9 |
| 1959 | Apr 13 |
| 1960 | Apr 11 |
| 1961 | Apr 20 |
| 1962 | Apr 17 |
| 1963 | Apr 6 |
| 1964 | Apr 10 |
| 1965 | Apr 5 |
| 1992 | Apr 13 |
| 1993 | Apr 7 |
| 1994 | Apr 8 |
| 1995 | Apr 5 |
| 1996 | Apr 18 |
| 1997 | Apr 15 |
| 1998 | Mar 25 |
| 1999 | Mar 27 |
| 2000 | Apr 13 |
| 2001 | Apr 29 |
| 2002 | Apr 7 |
| 2003 | Apr 8 |
| 2004 | Apr 16 |
| 2005 | Mar 22 |
| 2006 | Apr 10 |
| 2007 | Apr 11 |
| 2008 | Apr 3 |
| 2009 | Apr 13 |
| 2010 | Mar 27 |
| 2011 | Apr 2 |
| 2012 | Mar 30 |
| 2013 | Apr 21 |
| 2014 | Apr 16 |
| 2015 | Apr 25 |
| 2016 | Apr 10 |
| 2017 | Mar 23 |
| 2018 | Apr 21 |
| 2019 | Apr 3 |
| 2020 | May 10 |
| 2021 | Apr 23 |
| 2022 | Apr 11 |
| 2023 | Apr 9 |
| 2024 | Mar 26 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1941 | 201 |
| 1943 | 185 |
| 1944 | 168 |
| 1946 | 211 |
| 1948 | 182 |
| 1949 | 180 |
| 1950 | 193 |
| 1951 | 220 |
| 1952 | 194 |
| 1953 | 168 |
| 1954 | 186 |
| 1955 | 213 |
| 1956 | 198 |
| 1957 | 174 |
| 1958 | 179 |
| 1959 | 198 |
| 1960 | 197 |
| 1961 | 190 |
| 1962 | 190 |
| 1963 | 220 |
| 1964 | 184 |
| 1965 | 206 |
| 1992 | 189 |
| 1993 | 186 |
| 1994 | 217 |
| 1995 | 213 |
| 1996 | 198 |
| 1997 | 190 |
| 1998 | 222 |
| 1999 | 222 |
| 2000 | 216 |
| 2001 | 162 |
| 2002 | 206 |
| 2003 | 213 |
| 2004 | 206 |
| 2005 | 234 |
| 2006 | 187 |
| 2007 | 210 |
| 2008 | 202 |
| 2009 | 204 |
| 2010 | 219 |
| 2011 | 209 |
| 2012 | 196 |
| 2013 | 187 |
| 2014 | 205 |
| 2015 | 176 |
| 2016 | 215 |
| 2017 | 231 |
| 2018 | 202 |
| 2019 | 218 |
| 2020 | 191 |
| 2021 | 194 |
| 2022 | 216 |
| 2023 | 206 |
| 2024 | 231 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1941 | 19.8 °C |
| 1942 | 19.2 °C |
| 1944 | 19.7 °C |
| 1946 | 18.4 °C |
| 1948 | 19.2 °C |
| 1949 | 19.6 °C |
| 1950 | 18.4 °C |
| 1951 | 19.5 °C |
| 1952 | 19.9 °C |
| 1953 | 19.9 °C |
| 1954 | 19.8 °C |
| 1955 | 20.8 °C |
| 1956 | 18.3 °C |
| 1957 | 20.4 °C |
| 1958 | 19.3 °C |
| 1959 | 21.0 °C |
| 1960 | 19.8 °C |
| 1961 | 19.5 °C |
| 1962 | 19.1 °C |
| 1963 | 18.4 °C |
| 1964 | 18.1 °C |
| 1965 | 19.5 °C |
| 1992 | 18.7 °C |
| 1993 | 20.0 °C |
| 1994 | 20.1 °C |
| 1995 | 19.9 °C |
| 1996 | 19.4 °C |
| 1997 | 19.3 °C |
| 1998 | 20.5 °C |
| 1999 | 20.9 °C |
| 2000 | 19.4 °C |
| 2001 | 19.4 °C |
| 2002 | 20.4 °C |
| 2003 | 18.8 °C |
| 2004 | 19.9 °C |
| 2005 | 20.6 °C |
| 2006 | 19.9 °C |
| 2007 | 20.0 °C |
| 2008 | 19.8 °C |
| 2009 | 19.3 °C |
| 2010 | 21.2 °C |
| 2011 | 20.6 °C |
| 2012 | 20.4 °C |
| 2013 | 19.6 °C |
| 2014 | 19.7 °C |
| 2015 | 21.0 °C |
| 2016 | 20.9 °C |
| 2017 | 20.4 °C |
| 2018 | 20.5 °C |
| 2019 | 21.5 °C |
| 2020 | 20.3 °C |
| 2021 | 21.1 °C |
| 2022 | 20.7 °C |
| 2023 | 20.4 °C |
| 2024 | 21.2 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1941, Highspire's last spring frost has come about 1 day earlier per decade, on average. 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 Middletown Harrisburg Intl Ap (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.