When to plant in Brookneal, VA
Planting dates worked out from Brookneal's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 8
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 24
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 24
1 year in 10 by Oct 16
Frost-free days
178
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Brookneal · 2.1 km away · station 124 m, town 163 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 13 – Mar 27 | May 8 – May 22 | Jul 2 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 27 – Mar 13 | May 8 – May 22 | Jul 7 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 20 – Feb 27 | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | May 6 |
| Peas | — | Mar 13 – Apr 10 | May 7 |
| Bush beans | — | May 1 – May 22 | Jun 20 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 3 – May 15 | Jun 2 |
| Beet | — | Mar 27 – May 8 | May 16 |
| Potato | — | Apr 3 – Apr 24 | Jun 12 |
| Kale | Feb 13 – Feb 27 | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | May 9 |
| Broccoli | Feb 13 – Feb 27 | Mar 27 – Apr 17 | May 26 |
| Cucumber | Apr 10 – Apr 17 | May 8 – May 22 | Jun 27 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 10 – Apr 17 | May 8 – May 22 | Jun 22 |
| Winter squash | Apr 10 – Apr 17 | May 8 – May 22 | Jul 27 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 1 – May 22 | Jun 30 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 27 – Apr 17 | Jun 25 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 10 – Nov 7 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 13 – Apr 10 | Apr 20 |
| Basil | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | May 8 – May 22 | Jul 4 |
Brookneal'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 |
|---|---|
| 1977 | Apr 11 |
| 1978 | Mar 19 |
| 1979 | Apr 18 |
| 1980 | Apr 18 |
| 1981 | Apr 16 |
| 1982 | Apr 24 |
| 1983 | Apr 22 |
| 1984 | Apr 12 |
| 1985 | Apr 11 |
| 1986 | Apr 24 |
| 1998 | Apr 29 |
| 1999 | Apr 26 |
| 2000 | Apr 10 |
| 2002 | May 24 |
| 2003 | Apr 24 |
| 2004 | May 5 |
| 2007 | Apr 10 |
| 2012 | Apr 25 |
| 2013 | Apr 22 |
| 2014 | Apr 18 |
| 2015 | Apr 25 |
| 2016 | Apr 16 |
| 2017 | Apr 10 |
| 2018 | May 1 |
| 2019 | Apr 4 |
| 2020 | May 11 |
| 2021 | Apr 24 |
| 2022 | Apr 21 |
| 2023 | Apr 12 |
| 2024 | Apr 24 |
| 2025 | Apr 17 |
| 2026 | May 4 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1977 | 189 |
| 1978 | 203 |
| 1979 | 178 |
| 1980 | 178 |
| 1981 | 186 |
| 1982 | 175 |
| 1983 | 188 |
| 1984 | 173 |
| 1985 | 178 |
| 1998 | 168 |
| 1999 | 178 |
| 2002 | 146 |
| 2003 | 161 |
| 2004 | 165 |
| 2007 | 201 |
| 2012 | 190 |
| 2013 | 182 |
| 2014 | 198 |
| 2015 | 174 |
| 2016 | 202 |
| 2017 | 199 |
| 2018 | 173 |
| 2019 | 198 |
| 2020 | 175 |
| 2021 | 192 |
| 2022 | 180 |
| 2023 | 193 |
| 2024 | 176 |
| 2025 | 186 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1977 | 21.8 °C |
| 1978 | 20.8 °C |
| 1979 | 20.1 °C |
| 1980 | 21.5 °C |
| 1981 | 20.5 °C |
| 1982 | 20.4 °C |
| 1983 | 20.5 °C |
| 1984 | 20.0 °C |
| 1985 | 20.2 °C |
| 1986 | 21.4 °C |
| 1998 | 20.7 °C |
| 1999 | 18.9 °C |
| 2000 | 18.1 °C |
| 2002 | 18.3 °C |
| 2003 | 16.8 °C |
| 2004 | 17.7 °C |
| 2007 | 21.5 °C |
| 2011 | 22.2 °C |
| 2012 | 21.3 °C |
| 2013 | 20.3 °C |
| 2014 | 20.5 °C |
| 2015 | 21.3 °C |
| 2016 | 21.7 °C |
| 2017 | 21.4 °C |
| 2018 | 21.4 °C |
| 2019 | 21.5 °C |
| 2020 | 20.4 °C |
| 2021 | 20.0 °C |
| 2022 | 20.7 °C |
| 2023 | 19.4 °C |
| 2024 | 20.7 °C |
| 2025 | 20.6 °C |
| 2026 | 21.1 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1977, Brookneal'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 Brookneal (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.