When to plant in Dooms, VA
Planting dates worked out from Dooms's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 12
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 22
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 25
1 year in 10 by Oct 15
Frost-free days
184
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Waynesboro Wtp · 3.5 km away · station 387 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 | Mar 17 – Mar 31 | May 12 – May 26 | Jul 6 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 3 – Mar 17 | May 12 – May 26 | Jul 11 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 18 – Feb 25 | Mar 25 – Apr 8 | May 4 |
| Peas | — | Mar 16 – Apr 13 | May 10 |
| Bush beans | — | May 5 – May 26 | Jun 24 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 1 – May 13 | May 31 |
| Beet | — | Mar 25 – May 6 | May 14 |
| Potato | — | Apr 1 – Apr 22 | Jun 10 |
| Kale | Feb 11 – Feb 25 | Mar 25 – Apr 8 | May 7 |
| Broccoli | Feb 11 – Feb 25 | Mar 25 – Apr 15 | May 24 |
| Cucumber | Apr 14 – Apr 21 | May 12 – May 26 | Jul 1 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 14 – Apr 21 | May 12 – May 26 | Jun 26 |
| Winter squash | Apr 14 – Apr 21 | May 12 – May 26 | Jul 31 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 5 – May 26 | Jul 4 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 25 – Apr 15 | Jun 23 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 11 – Nov 8 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 16 – Apr 13 | Apr 23 |
| Basil | Mar 31 – Apr 14 | May 12 – May 26 | Jul 8 |
Dooms'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 |
|---|---|
| 2001 | Apr 26 |
| 2002 | May 23 |
| 2003 | Apr 24 |
| 2004 | Apr 16 |
| 2006 | Apr 11 |
| 2007 | Apr 11 |
| 2008 | May 1 |
| 2009 | Apr 13 |
| 2011 | Apr 7 |
| 2012 | Apr 13 |
| 2013 | May 15 |
| 2014 | Apr 25 |
| 2015 | Apr 6 |
| 2016 | Apr 14 |
| 2017 | May 9 |
| 2018 | Apr 22 |
| 2019 | Apr 4 |
| 2020 | May 11 |
| 2021 | Apr 23 |
| 2022 | May 1 |
| 2023 | Apr 25 |
| 2024 | Apr 8 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 147 |
| 2003 | 161 |
| 2004 | 202 |
| 2006 | 184 |
| 2011 | 204 |
| 2012 | 202 |
| 2013 | 162 |
| 2014 | 183 |
| 2015 | 194 |
| 2016 | 204 |
| 2017 | 185 |
| 2018 | 182 |
| 2019 | 198 |
| 2020 | 172 |
| 2021 | 193 |
| 2022 | 160 |
| 2023 | 180 |
| 2024 | 192 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 19.3 °C |
| 2003 | 18.2 °C |
| 2004 | 18.9 °C |
| 2007 | 19.1 °C |
| 2008 | 18.8 °C |
| 2009 | 18.4 °C |
| 2011 | 20.0 °C |
| 2012 | 19.8 °C |
| 2013 | 18.6 °C |
| 2014 | 18.7 °C |
| 2015 | 19.7 °C |
| 2016 | 19.9 °C |
| 2017 | 19.4 °C |
| 2018 | 19.9 °C |
| 2019 | 20.6 °C |
| 2020 | 19.0 °C |
| 2021 | 19.8 °C |
| 2022 | 19.4 °C |
| 2023 | 19.2 °C |
| 2024 | 20.1 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Waynesboro Wtp (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.