When to plant in Lykens, PA
Planting dates worked out from Lykens's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 16
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 16
1 year in 10 by Oct 5
Frost-free days
166
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Dehart Dam · 12.5 km away · station 164 m, town 210 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 21 – Apr 4 | May 16 – May 30 | Jul 10 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | May 16 – May 30 | Jul 15 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 28 – Mar 7 | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | May 14 |
| Peas | — | Mar 28 – Apr 25 | May 22 |
| Bush beans | — | May 9 – May 30 | Jun 28 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 11 – May 23 | Jun 10 |
| Beet | — | Apr 6 – May 18 | May 26 |
| Potato | — | Apr 11 – May 2 | Jun 20 |
| Kale | Feb 21 – Mar 7 | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | May 17 |
| Broccoli | Feb 21 – Mar 7 | Apr 4 – Apr 25 | Jun 3 |
| Cucumber | Apr 18 – Apr 25 | May 16 – May 30 | Jul 5 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 18 – Apr 25 | May 16 – May 30 | Jun 30 |
| Winter squash | Apr 18 – Apr 25 | May 16 – May 30 | Aug 4 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 9 – May 30 | Jul 8 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 4 – Apr 25 | Jul 3 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 2 – Oct 30 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 28 – Apr 25 | May 5 |
| Basil | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | May 16 – May 30 | Jul 12 |
Lykens'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 |
|---|---|
| 2000 | Apr 15 |
| 2001 | Apr 29 |
| 2002 | May 23 |
| 2003 | Apr 15 |
| 2004 | Apr 17 |
| 2005 | May 6 |
| 2006 | Apr 29 |
| 2007 | May 15 |
| 2008 | Apr 30 |
| 2009 | May 19 |
| 2010 | May 11 |
| 2011 | Apr 22 |
| 2012 | Apr 30 |
| 2013 | May 14 |
| 2014 | Apr 28 |
| 2015 | Apr 27 |
| 2016 | Apr 24 |
| 2017 | May 10 |
| 2018 | May 2 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 175 |
| 2001 | 161 |
| 2002 | 148 |
| 2003 | 170 |
| 2004 | 183 |
| 2005 | 175 |
| 2006 | 166 |
| 2007 | 166 |
| 2008 | 159 |
| 2009 | 147 |
| 2010 | 164 |
| 2011 | 188 |
| 2012 | 165 |
| 2013 | 161 |
| 2014 | 159 |
| 2015 | 173 |
| 2016 | 184 |
| 2017 | 160 |
| 2018 | 169 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 17.7 °C |
| 2001 | 18.4 °C |
| 2002 | 19.1 °C |
| 2003 | 17.3 °C |
| 2004 | 18.3 °C |
| 2005 | 18.3 °C |
| 2006 | 17.9 °C |
| 2007 | 17.8 °C |
| 2008 | 17.6 °C |
| 2009 | 17.4 °C |
| 2010 | 18.9 °C |
| 2011 | 18.7 °C |
| 2012 | 18.4 °C |
| 2013 | 17.6 °C |
| 2014 | 17.2 °C |
| 2015 | 18.3 °C |
| 2016 | 18.4 °C |
| 2017 | 17.8 °C |
| 2018 | 18.1 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Dehart Dam (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.