When to plant in Ashland, VA

Planting dates worked out from Ashland's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.

Safe to plant out

Apr 20

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

Oct 25

1 year in 10 by Oct 9

Frost-free days

198

median, 1991–2020

Station used: Ashland · 0.6 km away · station 67 m, town 65 m. How we match towns to stations

This season

Plan your garden.

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Planting dates for common crops

Crop	Start indoors	Plant out or sow	Harvest from
Tomato	Feb 23 – Mar 9	Apr 20 – May 4	Jun 14
Sweet pepper	Feb 9 – Feb 23	Apr 20 – May 4	Jun 19
Lettuce (leaf)	Feb 6 – Feb 13	Mar 13 – Mar 27	Apr 22
Peas	—	Feb 27 – Mar 27	Apr 23
Bush beans	—	Apr 13 – May 4	Jun 2
Carrot	—	Mar 20 – May 1	May 19
Beet	—	Mar 13 – Apr 24	May 2
Potato	—	Mar 20 – Apr 10	May 29
Kale	Jan 30 – Feb 13	Mar 13 – Mar 27	Apr 25
Broccoli	Jan 30 – Feb 13	Mar 13 – Apr 3	May 12
Cucumber	Mar 23 – Mar 30	Apr 20 – May 4	Jun 9
Summer squash and zucchini	Mar 23 – Mar 30	Apr 20 – May 4	Jun 4
Winter squash	Mar 23 – Mar 30	Apr 20 – May 4	Jul 9
Sweet corn	—	Apr 13 – May 4	Jun 12
Onion (from sets)	—	Mar 13 – Apr 3	Jun 11
Garlic	—	Oct 11 – Nov 8 (fall)	following summer
Spinach	—	Feb 27 – Mar 27	Apr 6
Basil	Mar 9 – Mar 23	Apr 20 – May 4	Jun 16

Plan all 65 crops for Ashland

Ashland'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
1893	Apr 24
1894	Apr 9
1895	Apr 12
1896	Apr 9
1897	Apr 21
1898	Apr 9
1899	Apr 17
1900	Apr 10
1901	Mar 29
1902	Apr 14
1903	Apr 5
1904	Apr 22
1905	Apr 19
1906	Apr 24
1908	Apr 17
1909	Apr 12
1910	Apr 8
1911	May 6
1912	Apr 8
1913	Apr 21
1914	Apr 10
1915	Apr 6
1916	Apr 11
1917	Apr 15
1918	Apr 12
1919	Apr 25
1920	Apr 15
1921	Apr 12
1923	Apr 10
1925	May 27
1926	May 6
1927	May 2
1928	May 14
1948	Apr 23
1949	Apr 17
1950	Apr 17
1953	Apr 22
1954	Apr 13
1955	Apr 9
1956	May 17
1957	Apr 16
1959	Apr 7
1960	Apr 20
1961	May 3
1962	Apr 17
1963	Apr 14
1964	Apr 10
1965	Apr 17
1966	May 11
1967	Apr 29
1969	Apr 21
1971	Apr 16
1972	Apr 10
1973	May 18
1974	Apr 20
1975	Apr 14
1976	Apr 28
1977	Apr 10
1978	Apr 23
1979	Apr 10
1980	Apr 17
1981	Apr 26
1982	Apr 23
1983	Apr 21
1984	Apr 11
1985	Apr 10
1986	Apr 23
1987	Apr 6
1988	Apr 20
1989	Apr 14
1990	Apr 19
1991	Apr 4
1992	Apr 6
1993	Apr 8
1994	Apr 8
1995	Apr 15
1996	Apr 18
1997	Apr 15
1998	Apr 6
1999	Apr 13
2000	Mar 19
2001	Apr 19
2002	Apr 7
2003	Apr 24
2004	Apr 28
2005	Apr 17
2006	Apr 10
2007	Apr 10
2008	Apr 16
2009	Mar 31
2010	Mar 28
2011	Apr 6
2012	Mar 11
2013	Apr 4
2014	Apr 17
2015	Apr 5
2016	Apr 10
2017	Apr 8
2018	Apr 11
2019	Apr 3
2020	May 10
2021	Apr 22
2022	Apr 20
2023	Apr 10
2024	Apr 6
2025	Apr 9
2026	Apr 21

Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Frost-free days
1893	188
1894	210
1895	171
1896	192
1897	205
1898	201
1899	167
1900	213
1902	198
1903	204
1904	176
1905	185
1908	198
1909	190
1910	204
1911	180
1912	208
1913	182
1914	200
1915	210
1916	182
1917	180
1918	193
1925	135
1926	154
1927	164
1949	202
1953	167
1954	177
1956	146
1957	179
1959	201
1960	183
1961	177
1962	189
1963	182
1964	180
1965	170
1966	148
1967	173
1969	179
1971	202
1972	192
1973	152
1974	166
1975	199
1976	173
1977	190
1978	168
1979	182
1980	179
1981	176
1982	176
1983	189
1984	209
1985	226
1986	203
1987	185
1988	171
1989	203
1990	190
1991	186
1992	196
1993	198
1994	202
1995	202
1996	169
1997	190
1998	199
1999	194
2000	204
2001	172
2002	207
2003	161
2004	191
2005	192
2006	187
2007	202
2008	196
2009	220
2010	215
2011	206
2012	236
2013	203
2014	199
2015	195
2016	211
2017	216
2018	193
2019	212
2020	175
2021	196
2022	182
2023	205
2024	220
2025	198

Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Growing-season temperature
1893	20.8 °C
1894	20.9 °C
1895	20.9 °C
1896	21.1 °C
1897	20.9 °C
1898	21.0 °C
1899	21.3 °C
1900	22.2 °C
1901	21.2 °C
1902	20.7 °C
1903	20.1 °C
1904	20.3 °C
1905	21.1 °C
1908	20.5 °C
1909	20.1 °C
1910	20.6 °C
1912	21.0 °C
1913	20.5 °C
1914	20.6 °C
1915	20.8 °C
1916	20.4 °C
1917	19.3 °C
1918	20.3 °C
1919	20.1 °C
1920	19.4 °C
1921	21.1 °C
1925	20.4 °C
1927	18.7 °C
1949	20.4 °C
1954	21.2 °C
1956	20.4 °C
1957	21.6 °C
1959	21.4 °C
1960	20.8 °C
1961	19.8 °C
1962	19.7 °C
1963	19.9 °C
1964	19.9 °C
1965	20.3 °C
1966	19.4 °C
1967	19.3 °C
1969	20.4 °C
1971	20.2 °C
1972	19.9 °C
1973	21.2 °C
1974	20.3 °C
1975	20.4 °C
1976	20.4 °C
1977	21.7 °C
1978	20.7 °C
1979	20.3 °C
1980	21.5 °C
1981	20.5 °C
1982	20.1 °C
1983	20.5 °C
1984	20.0 °C
1985	21.2 °C
1986	21.4 °C
1987	21.8 °C
1988	21.0 °C
1989	20.7 °C
1990	20.6 °C
1991	21.7 °C
1992	19.8 °C
1993	21.3 °C
1994	20.6 °C
1995	20.4 °C
1996	19.8 °C
1997	19.8 °C
1998	21.5 °C
1999	20.7 °C
2000	19.8 °C
2001	19.9 °C
2002	21.7 °C
2003	19.8 °C
2004	20.7 °C
2005	21.4 °C
2006	20.7 °C
2007	21.0 °C
2008	21.1 °C
2009	21.2 °C
2010	23.2 °C
2011	22.2 °C
2012	21.9 °C
2013	20.9 °C
2014	21.0 °C
2015	21.7 °C
2016	21.5 °C
2017	21.4 °C
2018	22.0 °C
2019	22.3 °C
2020	20.7 °C
2021	21.5 °C
2022	21.7 °C
2023	21.2 °C
2024	22.2 °C
2025	21.8 °C
2026	22.3 °C

What this means for you: Since 1893, Ashland's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.

Source: daily records from Ashland (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.

Nearby towns

Glen Allen Laurel Wyndham Chamberlayne Short Pump Lakeside