When to plant in Big Stone Gap, VA
Planting dates worked out from Big Stone Gap's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 4
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 20
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 20
1 year in 10 by Oct 8
Frost-free days
183
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Big Stone Gap · 5.4 km away · station 447 m, town 468 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 9 – Mar 23 | May 4 – May 18 | Jun 28 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 23 – Mar 9 | May 4 – May 18 | Jul 3 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 16 – Feb 23 | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | May 2 |
| Peas | — | Mar 9 – Apr 6 | May 3 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 27 – May 18 | Jun 16 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 30 – May 11 | May 29 |
| Beet | — | Mar 23 – May 4 | May 12 |
| Potato | — | Mar 30 – Apr 20 | Jun 8 |
| Kale | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | May 5 |
| Broccoli | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | Mar 23 – Apr 13 | May 22 |
| Cucumber | Apr 6 – Apr 13 | May 4 – May 18 | Jun 23 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 6 – Apr 13 | May 4 – May 18 | Jun 18 |
| Winter squash | Apr 6 – Apr 13 | May 4 – May 18 | Jul 23 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 27 – May 18 | Jun 26 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 23 – Apr 13 | Jun 21 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 6 – Nov 3 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 9 – Apr 6 | Apr 16 |
| Basil | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | May 4 – May 18 | Jun 30 |
Big Stone Gap'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 |
|---|---|
| 1990 | Apr 13 |
| 1991 | Apr 3 |
| 1992 | Apr 30 |
| 1993 | Apr 24 |
| 1994 | Apr 9 |
| 1995 | Apr 6 |
| 1996 | May 2 |
| 1997 | May 11 |
| 1998 | Apr 12 |
| 1999 | Apr 17 |
| 2000 | Apr 11 |
| 2001 | Apr 20 |
| 2002 | May 22 |
| 2003 | Apr 1 |
| 2005 | May 3 |
| 2006 | Apr 9 |
| 2007 | Apr 17 |
| 2008 | Apr 30 |
| 2009 | Apr 9 |
| 2010 | Apr 28 |
| 2011 | Apr 7 |
| 2012 | Apr 13 |
| 2013 | Apr 21 |
| 2014 | Apr 17 |
| 2015 | May 2 |
| 2016 | Apr 11 |
| 2017 | Apr 9 |
| 2018 | Apr 21 |
| 2019 | Apr 18 |
| 2020 | May 10 |
| 2021 | Apr 24 |
| 2022 | Apr 20 |
| 2023 | May 4 |
| 2024 | Apr 23 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 196 |
| 1991 | 187 |
| 1992 | 172 |
| 1996 | 162 |
| 1997 | 164 |
| 1998 | 193 |
| 1999 | 190 |
| 2000 | 179 |
| 2001 | 170 |
| 2002 | 163 |
| 2005 | 176 |
| 2006 | 186 |
| 2007 | 194 |
| 2008 | 171 |
| 2009 | 192 |
| 2010 | 184 |
| 2011 | 205 |
| 2012 | 203 |
| 2013 | 185 |
| 2014 | 171 |
| 2015 | 168 |
| 2016 | 194 |
| 2017 | 199 |
| 2018 | 183 |
| 2019 | 182 |
| 2020 | 159 |
| 2021 | 192 |
| 2022 | 160 |
| 2023 | 180 |
| 2024 | 176 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 19.2 °C |
| 1991 | 20.6 °C |
| 1992 | 19.1 °C |
| 1993 | 19.7 °C |
| 1994 | 19.0 °C |
| 1996 | 18.6 °C |
| 1997 | 18.1 °C |
| 1998 | 20.5 °C |
| 1999 | 20.0 °C |
| 2000 | 19.8 °C |
| 2001 | 19.6 °C |
| 2002 | 20.6 °C |
| 2003 | 19.6 °C |
| 2005 | 20.2 °C |
| 2006 | 19.7 °C |
| 2007 | 20.2 °C |
| 2008 | 19.5 °C |
| 2009 | 19.6 °C |
| 2010 | 21.3 °C |
| 2011 | 20.3 °C |
| 2012 | 20.1 °C |
| 2013 | 19.5 °C |
| 2014 | 19.5 °C |
| 2015 | 20.1 °C |
| 2016 | 20.2 °C |
| 2017 | 19.3 °C |
| 2018 | 20.3 °C |
| 2019 | 20.3 °C |
| 2020 | 18.9 °C |
| 2021 | 19.0 °C |
| 2022 | 19.3 °C |
| 2023 | 19.4 °C |
| 2024 | 20.4 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1990, Big Stone Gap's last spring frost has come about 2 days later per decade, on average. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Big Stone Gap (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.