When to plant in Apple Mountain Lake, VA
Planting dates worked out from Apple Mountain Lake's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 9
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 14
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 25
1 year in 10 by Oct 8
Frost-free days
198
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Front Royal · 7.3 km away · station 284 m, town 291 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 14 – Mar 28 | May 9 – May 23 | Jul 3 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 28 – Mar 14 | May 9 – May 23 | Jul 8 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 10 – Feb 17 | Mar 17 – Mar 31 | Apr 26 |
| Peas | — | Mar 14 – Apr 11 | May 8 |
| Bush beans | — | May 2 – May 23 | Jun 21 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 24 – May 5 | May 23 |
| Beet | — | Mar 23 – May 4 | May 12 |
| Potato | — | Mar 24 – Apr 14 | Jun 2 |
| Kale | Feb 7 – Feb 21 | Mar 21 – Apr 4 | May 3 |
| Broccoli | Feb 3 – Feb 17 | Mar 17 – Apr 7 | May 16 |
| Cucumber | Apr 11 – Apr 18 | May 9 – May 23 | Jun 28 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 11 – Apr 18 | May 9 – May 23 | Jun 23 |
| Winter squash | Apr 11 – Apr 18 | May 9 – May 23 | Jul 28 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 2 – May 23 | Jul 1 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 17 – Apr 7 | Jun 15 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 11 – Nov 8 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 14 – Apr 11 | Apr 21 |
| Basil | Mar 28 – Apr 11 | May 9 – May 23 | Jul 5 |
Apple Mountain Lake'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 |
|---|---|
| 1996 | May 14 |
| 1997 | Apr 20 |
| 1998 | Apr 12 |
| 1999 | Mar 26 |
| 2000 | Apr 13 |
| 2001 | Apr 26 |
| 2002 | May 22 |
| 2003 | Mar 31 |
| 2004 | Apr 16 |
| 2005 | Apr 16 |
| 2006 | Apr 10 |
| 2007 | Apr 10 |
| 2008 | Apr 15 |
| 2009 | Apr 8 |
| 2010 | Mar 28 |
| 2011 | Apr 1 |
| 2012 | Mar 28 |
| 2013 | Apr 7 |
| 2014 | Apr 18 |
| 2015 | Apr 2 |
| 2016 | Apr 11 |
| 2020 | May 10 |
| 2021 | Apr 24 |
| 2022 | May 10 |
| 2023 | May 3 |
| 2024 | Apr 23 |
| 2026 | Apr 22 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 142 |
| 1997 | 184 |
| 1998 | 205 |
| 1999 | 208 |
| 2000 | 198 |
| 2001 | 163 |
| 2002 | 161 |
| 2003 | 184 |
| 2004 | 202 |
| 2005 | 194 |
| 2006 | 186 |
| 2007 | 200 |
| 2008 | 186 |
| 2009 | 193 |
| 2010 | 218 |
| 2011 | 210 |
| 2012 | 199 |
| 2013 | 201 |
| 2014 | 203 |
| 2015 | 199 |
| 2016 | 215 |
| 2020 | 192 |
| 2022 | 164 |
| 2023 | 182 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 18.7 °C |
| 1997 | 18.1 °C |
| 1998 | 20.4 °C |
| 1999 | 19.9 °C |
| 2000 | 19.0 °C |
| 2001 | 18.9 °C |
| 2002 | 20.0 °C |
| 2003 | 18.9 °C |
| 2004 | 19.9 °C |
| 2005 | 20.0 °C |
| 2006 | 19.9 °C |
| 2007 | 20.1 °C |
| 2008 | 19.8 °C |
| 2009 | 19.6 °C |
| 2010 | 21.5 °C |
| 2011 | 20.6 °C |
| 2012 | 20.1 °C |
| 2013 | 19.2 °C |
| 2014 | 19.0 °C |
| 2015 | 20.0 °C |
| 2016 | 20.0 °C |
| 2020 | 19.0 °C |
| 2022 | 19.1 °C |
| 2023 | 19.3 °C |
| 2025 | 20.2 °C |
| 2026 | 20.6 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Front Royal (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.