When to plant in Parkside, PA
Planting dates worked out from Parkside's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 9
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 28
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 23
1 year in 10 by Nov 9
Frost-free days
245
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Marcus Hook · 6.1 km away · station 3 m, town 29 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 13 – Feb 27 | Apr 10 – Apr 24 | Jun 4 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 30 – Feb 13 | Apr 10 – Apr 24 | Jun 9 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 5 – Feb 12 | Mar 12 – Mar 26 | Apr 21 |
| Peas | — | Mar 12 – Apr 9 | May 6 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 6 – Apr 27 | May 26 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 23 – May 4 | May 22 |
| Beet | — | Mar 23 – May 4 | May 12 |
| Potato | — | Mar 23 – Apr 13 | Jun 1 |
| Kale | Feb 5 – Feb 19 | Mar 19 – Apr 2 | May 1 |
| Broccoli | Jan 29 – Feb 12 | Mar 12 – Apr 2 | May 11 |
| Cucumber | Mar 13 – Mar 20 | Apr 10 – Apr 24 | May 30 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 13 – Mar 20 | Apr 10 – Apr 24 | May 25 |
| Winter squash | Mar 13 – Mar 20 | Apr 10 – Apr 24 | Jun 29 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 6 – Apr 27 | Jun 5 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 12 – Apr 2 | Jun 10 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 28 – Nov 25 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 12 – Apr 9 | Apr 19 |
| Basil | Feb 27 – Mar 13 | Apr 10 – Apr 24 | Jun 6 |
Parkside'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 |
|---|---|
| 1920 | Apr 11 |
| 1921 | Apr 2 |
| 1922 | Apr 29 |
| 1923 | Apr 14 |
| 1933 | Mar 26 |
| 1934 | Apr 27 |
| 1936 | Apr 7 |
| 1937 | Mar 28 |
| 1938 | Apr 6 |
| 1939 | Apr 12 |
| 1940 | Apr 13 |
| 1941 | Mar 30 |
| 1942 | Feb 28 |
| 1943 | Apr 15 |
| 1944 | Apr 6 |
| 1945 | Mar 8 |
| 1947 | Mar 31 |
| 1948 | Mar 29 |
| 1949 | Mar 21 |
| 1950 | Apr 14 |
| 1951 | Mar 27 |
| 1952 | Mar 18 |
| 1953 | Mar 11 |
| 1954 | Apr 5 |
| 1955 | Mar 29 |
| 1956 | Apr 1 |
| 1957 | Mar 11 |
| 1958 | Apr 9 |
| 1959 | Mar 29 |
| 1960 | Apr 11 |
| 1961 | Mar 18 |
| 1962 | Apr 17 |
| 1963 | Mar 23 |
| 1964 | Apr 5 |
| 1967 | Apr 12 |
| 1968 | Mar 25 |
| 1969 | Apr 1 |
| 1970 | Mar 30 |
| 1971 | Mar 31 |
| 1972 | Apr 9 |
| 1974 | Mar 29 |
| 1975 | Apr 7 |
| 1976 | Apr 12 |
| 1977 | Apr 9 |
| 1978 | Mar 18 |
| 1979 | Apr 7 |
| 1980 | Mar 13 |
| 1981 | Mar 20 |
| 1982 | Apr 8 |
| 1983 | Apr 20 |
| 1984 | Mar 24 |
| 1985 | Apr 10 |
| 1986 | Mar 22 |
| 1987 | Apr 1 |
| 1989 | Mar 23 |
| 1990 | Mar 28 |
| 1991 | Mar 31 |
| 1992 | Apr 13 |
| 1993 | Mar 20 |
| 1994 | Mar 19 |
| 1996 | Mar 28 |
| 1997 | Apr 10 |
| 1998 | Mar 22 |
| 1999 | Mar 13 |
| 2000 | Apr 9 |
| 2001 | Mar 28 |
| 2002 | Apr 7 |
| 2004 | Apr 5 |
| 2005 | Mar 15 |
| 2006 | Mar 21 |
| 2009 | Mar 25 |
| 2010 | Mar 28 |
| 2011 | Mar 30 |
| 2012 | Mar 10 |
| 2013 | Apr 5 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1920 | 214 |
| 1921 | 217 |
| 1922 | 174 |
| 1923 | 196 |
| 1934 | 200 |
| 1936 | 201 |
| 1937 | 226 |
| 1938 | 230 |
| 1939 | 204 |
| 1940 | 187 |
| 1941 | 239 |
| 1942 | 258 |
| 1943 | 215 |
| 1944 | 233 |
| 1945 | 257 |
| 1947 | 227 |
| 1948 | 247 |
| 1949 | 229 |
| 1950 | 221 |
| 1951 | 220 |
| 1952 | 216 |
| 1953 | 239 |
| 1954 | 240 |
| 1955 | 234 |
| 1956 | 222 |
| 1957 | 243 |
| 1958 | 227 |
| 1959 | 232 |
| 1960 | 210 |
| 1961 | 237 |
| 1962 | 202 |
| 1963 | 246 |
| 1964 | 229 |
| 1967 | 207 |
| 1969 | 204 |
| 1970 | 232 |
| 1971 | 222 |
| 1972 | 193 |
| 1974 | 203 |
| 1975 | 206 |
| 1976 | 197 |
| 1977 | 216 |
| 1978 | 252 |
| 1979 | 235 |
| 1980 | 247 |
| 1981 | 248 |
| 1982 | 221 |
| 1983 | 206 |
| 1984 | 239 |
| 1985 | 235 |
| 1986 | 235 |
| 1987 | 222 |
| 1989 | 239 |
| 1990 | 234 |
| 1993 | 232 |
| 1994 | 248 |
| 1996 | 228 |
| 1997 | 219 |
| 1998 | 274 |
| 1999 | 261 |
| 2000 | 223 |
| 2002 | 233 |
| 2004 | 218 |
| 2005 | 247 |
| 2006 | 257 |
| 2009 | 255 |
| 2010 | 245 |
| 2011 | 255 |
| 2012 | 240 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1920 | 20.6 °C |
| 1921 | 20.8 °C |
| 1922 | 20.3 °C |
| 1923 | 20.5 °C |
| 1932 | 21.6 °C |
| 1941 | 22.4 °C |
| 1942 | 21.9 °C |
| 1943 | 21.4 °C |
| 1944 | 22.2 °C |
| 1945 | 21.8 °C |
| 1947 | 21.1 °C |
| 1948 | 21.4 °C |
| 1949 | 21.4 °C |
| 1950 | 19.5 °C |
| 1951 | 20.5 °C |
| 1952 | 21.4 °C |
| 1953 | 21.0 °C |
| 1954 | 20.6 °C |
| 1955 | 21.4 °C |
| 1956 | 19.3 °C |
| 1957 | 21.5 °C |
| 1958 | 20.3 °C |
| 1959 | 21.4 °C |
| 1960 | 20.9 °C |
| 1961 | 20.7 °C |
| 1962 | 20.1 °C |
| 1963 | 20.0 °C |
| 1964 | 20.1 °C |
| 1965 | 20.3 °C |
| 1966 | 20.1 °C |
| 1967 | 19.2 °C |
| 1969 | 20.3 °C |
| 1970 | 20.2 °C |
| 1971 | 20.0 °C |
| 1972 | 20.5 °C |
| 1973 | 21.5 °C |
| 1974 | 20.8 °C |
| 1975 | 20.9 °C |
| 1976 | 21.4 °C |
| 1977 | 22.4 °C |
| 1978 | 21.0 °C |
| 1979 | 20.8 °C |
| 1980 | 22.3 °C |
| 1981 | 21.6 °C |
| 1982 | 20.9 °C |
| 1983 | 22.0 °C |
| 1984 | 20.8 °C |
| 1985 | 21.6 °C |
| 1986 | 21.5 °C |
| 1987 | 21.6 °C |
| 1989 | 20.1 °C |
| 1990 | 20.4 °C |
| 1991 | 21.9 °C |
| 1992 | 19.1 °C |
| 1993 | 20.8 °C |
| 1994 | 20.7 °C |
| 1996 | 19.9 °C |
| 1997 | 19.8 °C |
| 1998 | 21.5 °C |
| 1999 | 21.3 °C |
| 2000 | 20.4 °C |
| 2001 | 21.1 °C |
| 2002 | 21.9 °C |
| 2004 | 21.4 °C |
| 2005 | 22.0 °C |
| 2006 | 21.7 °C |
| 2009 | 21.0 °C |
| 2010 | 23.0 °C |
| 2011 | 22.1 °C |
| 2012 | 22.6 °C |
| 2013 | 21.1 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1920, Parkside's last spring frost has come about 1 day earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 4 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Marcus Hook (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.