When to plant in Dranesville, VA
Planting dates worked out from Dranesville'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 11
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 31
1 year in 10 by Oct 15
Frost-free days
205
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Vienna · 13.0 km away · station 119 m, town 129 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 8 – Feb 15 | Mar 15 – Mar 29 | Apr 24 |
| Peas | — | Mar 15 – Apr 12 | May 9 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 13 – May 4 | Jun 2 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 24 – May 5 | May 23 |
| Beet | — | Mar 24 – May 5 | May 13 |
| Potato | — | Mar 24 – Apr 14 | Jun 2 |
| Kale | Feb 8 – Feb 22 | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | May 4 |
| Broccoli | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Mar 15 – Apr 5 | May 14 |
| 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 15 – Apr 5 | Jun 13 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 17 – Nov 14 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 15 – Apr 12 | Apr 22 |
| Basil | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 16 |
Dranesville'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 |
|---|---|
| 1996 | Apr 11 |
| 1997 | Apr 16 |
| 1998 | Apr 13 |
| 1999 | Mar 27 |
| 2000 | Apr 10 |
| 2001 | Apr 20 |
| 2002 | Apr 7 |
| 2003 | Apr 1 |
| 2004 | Apr 29 |
| 2006 | Apr 9 |
| 2008 | Apr 3 |
| 2009 | Apr 14 |
| 2010 | Mar 28 |
| 2011 | Apr 6 |
| 2012 | Apr 8 |
| 2013 | Apr 23 |
| 2014 | Apr 18 |
| 2015 | Apr 2 |
| 2016 | Apr 15 |
| 2017 | Apr 8 |
| 2018 | Apr 19 |
| 2019 | Apr 4 |
| 2020 | Apr 20 |
| 2021 | Apr 22 |
| 2022 | Apr 12 |
| 2023 | Apr 10 |
| 2024 | Mar 31 |
| 2025 | Apr 10 |
| 2026 | Apr 22 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 205 |
| 1997 | 189 |
| 1998 | 204 |
| 1999 | 221 |
| 2000 | 209 |
| 2001 | 171 |
| 2002 | 207 |
| 2003 | 205 |
| 2004 | 192 |
| 2006 | 186 |
| 2008 | 202 |
| 2009 | 206 |
| 2010 | 218 |
| 2011 | 207 |
| 2012 | 187 |
| 2013 | 184 |
| 2014 | 213 |
| 2015 | 199 |
| 2016 | 206 |
| 2017 | 216 |
| 2018 | 185 |
| 2019 | 211 |
| 2020 | 212 |
| 2021 | 195 |
| 2022 | 201 |
| 2023 | 205 |
| 2024 | 226 |
| 2025 | 214 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 19.3 °C |
| 1997 | 18.2 °C |
| 1998 | 20.1 °C |
| 1999 | 19.7 °C |
| 2000 | 19.1 °C |
| 2001 | 19.0 °C |
| 2002 | 19.9 °C |
| 2003 | 18.9 °C |
| 2004 | 20.3 °C |
| 2005 | 20.0 °C |
| 2006 | 19.6 °C |
| 2008 | 19.1 °C |
| 2009 | 19.1 °C |
| 2010 | 20.8 °C |
| 2011 | 20.7 °C |
| 2012 | 20.1 °C |
| 2013 | 18.2 °C |
| 2014 | 20.8 °C |
| 2015 | 22.0 °C |
| 2016 | 20.2 °C |
| 2017 | 19.5 °C |
| 2018 | 20.1 °C |
| 2019 | 20.7 °C |
| 2020 | 19.4 °C |
| 2021 | 20.0 °C |
| 2022 | 19.4 °C |
| 2023 | 19.3 °C |
| 2024 | 20.2 °C |
| 2025 | 19.7 °C |
| 2026 | 19.9 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Vienna (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.