When to plant in Blue Ridge, VA
Planting dates worked out from Blue Ridge'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 7
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 29
1 year in 10 by Oct 14
Frost-free days
203
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Roanoke 8 N · 13.5 km away · station 353 m, town 385 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 23 – Mar 9 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 14 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 19 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 3 – Feb 10 | Mar 10 – Mar 24 | Apr 19 |
| Peas | — | Mar 5 – Apr 2 | Apr 29 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 13 – May 4 | Jun 2 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 18 – Apr 29 | May 17 |
| Beet | — | Mar 18 – Apr 29 | May 7 |
| Potato | — | Mar 18 – Apr 8 | May 27 |
| Kale | Jan 29 – Feb 12 | Mar 12 – Mar 26 | Apr 24 |
| Broccoli | Jan 27 – Feb 10 | Mar 10 – Mar 31 | May 9 |
| 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 10 – Mar 31 | Jun 8 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 15 – Nov 12 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 5 – Apr 2 | Apr 12 |
| Basil | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 16 |
Blue Ridge'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 |
|---|---|
| 1998 | Apr 13 |
| 1999 | Apr 1 |
| 2000 | Mar 19 |
| 2001 | Apr 20 |
| 2002 | Apr 7 |
| 2003 | Apr 1 |
| 2004 | Apr 7 |
| 2005 | Apr 17 |
| 2006 | Mar 28 |
| 2007 | Apr 12 |
| 2008 | Apr 16 |
| 2009 | Mar 23 |
| 2010 | Mar 28 |
| 2011 | Apr 7 |
| 2012 | Mar 12 |
| 2013 | Apr 5 |
| 2014 | Apr 18 |
| 2015 | Apr 6 |
| 2016 | Apr 11 |
| 2017 | Mar 24 |
| 2018 | Apr 21 |
| 2019 | Apr 4 |
| 2020 | May 10 |
| 2021 | Apr 25 |
| 2022 | Apr 21 |
| 2023 | Apr 10 |
| 2024 | Apr 8 |
| 2025 | Apr 13 |
| 2026 | Apr 21 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 192 |
| 1999 | 206 |
| 2000 | 224 |
| 2001 | 170 |
| 2002 | 208 |
| 2003 | 184 |
| 2004 | 216 |
| 2005 | 192 |
| 2006 | 198 |
| 2007 | 200 |
| 2008 | 197 |
| 2009 | 209 |
| 2010 | 223 |
| 2011 | 205 |
| 2012 | 237 |
| 2013 | 203 |
| 2014 | 203 |
| 2015 | 195 |
| 2016 | 215 |
| 2017 | 231 |
| 2018 | 183 |
| 2019 | 211 |
| 2020 | 191 |
| 2021 | 191 |
| 2022 | 181 |
| 2023 | 195 |
| 2024 | 218 |
| 2025 | 194 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 20.8 °C |
| 1999 | 20.0 °C |
| 2000 | 19.7 °C |
| 2001 | 20.0 °C |
| 2002 | 20.7 °C |
| 2003 | 19.6 °C |
| 2004 | 20.4 °C |
| 2005 | 20.3 °C |
| 2006 | 20.1 °C |
| 2007 | 20.7 °C |
| 2008 | 20.0 °C |
| 2009 | 20.0 °C |
| 2010 | 21.9 °C |
| 2011 | 21.3 °C |
| 2012 | 20.9 °C |
| 2013 | 19.9 °C |
| 2014 | 20.0 °C |
| 2015 | 20.9 °C |
| 2016 | 20.9 °C |
| 2017 | 20.1 °C |
| 2018 | 20.8 °C |
| 2019 | 21.3 °C |
| 2020 | 19.6 °C |
| 2021 | 20.1 °C |
| 2022 | 20.4 °C |
| 2023 | 19.6 °C |
| 2024 | 21.3 °C |
| 2025 | 20.9 °C |
| 2026 | 21.7 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Roanoke 8 N (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.