When to plant in Lampeter, PA
Planting dates worked out from Lampeter's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 29
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 19
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 24
1 year in 10 by Oct 12
Frost-free days
187
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Lancaster 2 Ne Filt Plt · 7.3 km away · station 82 m, town 124 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 4 – Mar 18 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 23 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 18 – Mar 4 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 28 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 15 – Feb 22 | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | May 1 |
| Peas | — | Mar 21 – Apr 18 | May 15 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 22 – May 13 | Jun 11 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 31 – May 12 | May 30 |
| Beet | — | Mar 31 – May 12 | May 20 |
| Potato | — | Mar 31 – Apr 21 | Jun 9 |
| Kale | Feb 14 – Feb 28 | Mar 28 – Apr 11 | May 10 |
| Broccoli | Feb 8 – Feb 22 | Mar 22 – Apr 12 | May 21 |
| Cucumber | Apr 1 – Apr 8 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 18 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 1 – Apr 8 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 13 |
| Winter squash | Apr 1 – Apr 8 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jul 18 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 22 – May 13 | Jun 21 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 22 – Apr 12 | Jun 20 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 10 – Nov 7 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 21 – Apr 18 | Apr 28 |
| Basil | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 25 |
Lampeter'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 | Apr 18 |
| 1981 | Apr 22 |
| 1982 | Apr 15 |
| 1983 | Apr 22 |
| 1984 | Apr 22 |
| 1985 | Apr 12 |
| 1986 | Apr 23 |
| 1987 | Apr 27 |
| 1988 | Apr 26 |
| 1989 | Apr 24 |
| 1990 | Apr 19 |
| 1991 | Apr 4 |
| 1992 | Apr 13 |
| 1993 | Apr 24 |
| 1994 | Apr 23 |
| 1995 | Apr 6 |
| 1996 | May 14 |
| 1997 | Apr 16 |
| 1998 | Apr 13 |
| 1999 | Apr 26 |
| 2000 | Apr 14 |
| 2001 | Apr 29 |
| 2002 | Apr 24 |
| 2003 | Apr 8 |
| 2004 | Apr 16 |
| 2005 | Apr 17 |
| 2006 | Apr 10 |
| 2007 | Apr 14 |
| 2008 | Apr 16 |
| 2009 | Apr 16 |
| 2011 | Mar 30 |
| 2012 | Apr 28 |
| 2013 | Apr 21 |
| 2014 | Apr 21 |
| 2015 | Apr 25 |
| 2016 | Apr 14 |
| 2017 | Apr 9 |
| 2018 | May 1 |
| 2019 | Apr 29 |
| 2020 | May 9 |
| 2021 | Apr 24 |
| 2022 | Apr 30 |
| 2023 | Apr 10 |
| 2024 | Mar 25 |
| 2025 | Apr 9 |
| 2026 | Apr 21 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1981 | 173 |
| 1982 | 185 |
| 1983 | 182 |
| 1984 | 194 |
| 1985 | 196 |
| 1986 | 166 |
| 1987 | 164 |
| 1988 | 165 |
| 1989 | 168 |
| 1990 | 190 |
| 1991 | 199 |
| 1992 | 189 |
| 1993 | 169 |
| 1994 | 187 |
| 1995 | 212 |
| 1996 | 150 |
| 1997 | 189 |
| 1998 | 201 |
| 1999 | 172 |
| 2000 | 205 |
| 2001 | 162 |
| 2002 | 187 |
| 2003 | 198 |
| 2004 | 206 |
| 2005 | 196 |
| 2006 | 185 |
| 2007 | 197 |
| 2008 | 186 |
| 2009 | 185 |
| 2011 | 212 |
| 2012 | 167 |
| 2013 | 185 |
| 2014 | 200 |
| 2015 | 176 |
| 2016 | 194 |
| 2017 | 214 |
| 2018 | 169 |
| 2019 | 158 |
| 2020 | 178 |
| 2021 | 192 |
| 2022 | 172 |
| 2023 | 205 |
| 2024 | 216 |
| 2025 | 201 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1980 | 20.6 °C |
| 1981 | 19.4 °C |
| 1982 | 18.8 °C |
| 1983 | 19.3 °C |
| 1984 | 18.2 °C |
| 1985 | 18.9 °C |
| 1986 | 18.6 °C |
| 1987 | 19.5 °C |
| 1988 | 19.0 °C |
| 1989 | 18.5 °C |
| 1990 | 18.6 °C |
| 1991 | 20.1 °C |
| 1992 | 17.7 °C |
| 1993 | 19.3 °C |
| 1994 | 19.0 °C |
| 1995 | 19.0 °C |
| 1996 | 18.5 °C |
| 1997 | 17.9 °C |
| 1998 | 19.6 °C |
| 1999 | 19.5 °C |
| 2000 | 18.4 °C |
| 2001 | 19.0 °C |
| 2002 | 20.0 °C |
| 2003 | 18.6 °C |
| 2004 | 19.6 °C |
| 2005 | 19.9 °C |
| 2006 | 19.4 °C |
| 2007 | 19.4 °C |
| 2008 | 19.1 °C |
| 2009 | 18.9 °C |
| 2011 | 21.0 °C |
| 2012 | 20.0 °C |
| 2013 | 19.6 °C |
| 2014 | 18.3 °C |
| 2015 | 20.1 °C |
| 2016 | 19.7 °C |
| 2017 | 20.0 °C |
| 2018 | 20.4 °C |
| 2019 | 19.9 °C |
| 2020 | 19.4 °C |
| 2021 | 20.4 °C |
| 2022 | 20.4 °C |
| 2023 | 20.2 °C |
| 2024 | 20.9 °C |
| 2025 | 20.3 °C |
| 2026 | 20.1 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1980, Lampeter's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. 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 Lancaster 2 Ne Filt Plt (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.