When to plant in Hillsville, VA
Planting dates worked out from Hillsville's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 23
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 5
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 14
1 year in 10 by Oct 1
Frost-free days
162
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Galax Radio Wbrf · 19.4 km away · station 727 m, town 767 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 28 – Apr 11 | May 23 – Jun 6 | Jul 17 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 14 – Mar 28 | May 23 – Jun 6 | Jul 22 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 3 – Mar 10 | Apr 7 – Apr 21 | May 17 |
| Peas | — | Mar 24 – Apr 21 | May 18 |
| Bush beans | — | May 16 – Jun 6 | Jul 5 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 14 – May 26 | Jun 13 |
| Beet | — | Apr 7 – May 19 | May 27 |
| Potato | — | Apr 14 – May 5 | Jun 23 |
| Kale | Feb 24 – Mar 10 | Apr 7 – Apr 21 | May 20 |
| Broccoli | Feb 24 – Mar 10 | Apr 7 – Apr 28 | Jun 6 |
| Cucumber | Apr 25 – May 2 | May 23 – Jun 6 | Jul 12 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 25 – May 2 | May 23 – Jun 6 | Jul 7 |
| Winter squash | Apr 25 – May 2 | May 23 – Jun 6 | Aug 11 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 16 – Jun 6 | Jul 15 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 7 – Apr 28 | Jul 6 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 30 – Oct 28 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 24 – Apr 21 | May 1 |
| Basil | Apr 11 – Apr 25 | May 23 – Jun 6 | Jul 19 |
Hillsville'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 |
|---|---|
| 1956 | May 17 |
| 1957 | May 7 |
| 1958 | Apr 13 |
| 1959 | May 16 |
| 1960 | May 13 |
| 1961 | May 28 |
| 1962 | Apr 25 |
| 1963 | May 24 |
| 1965 | Apr 17 |
| 1966 | Jun 2 |
| 1967 | May 4 |
| 1968 | May 22 |
| 1969 | May 13 |
| 1970 | May 7 |
| 1971 | May 1 |
| 1972 | May 28 |
| 1973 | May 18 |
| 1974 | May 8 |
| 1975 | Apr 22 |
| 1976 | May 9 |
| 1977 | May 12 |
| 1978 | May 3 |
| 1979 | Apr 30 |
| 1980 | May 10 |
| 1981 | May 13 |
| 1982 | May 1 |
| 1983 | May 10 |
| 1984 | May 17 |
| 1985 | May 4 |
| 1986 | May 4 |
| 1987 | Apr 29 |
| 1988 | May 2 |
| 1989 | May 13 |
| 1990 | Apr 19 |
| 1991 | Apr 25 |
| 1992 | May 23 |
| 1993 | May 23 |
| 1994 | May 28 |
| 1995 | Apr 26 |
| 2000 | Apr 27 |
| 2002 | May 23 |
| 2003 | Apr 24 |
| 2004 | May 4 |
| 2005 | May 3 |
| 2006 | Apr 10 |
| 2007 | May 8 |
| 2008 | Apr 30 |
| 2009 | May 19 |
| 2010 | May 10 |
| 2011 | May 6 |
| 2012 | Apr 24 |
| 2013 | May 14 |
| 2014 | Apr 24 |
| 2015 | Apr 12 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1956 | 126 |
| 1957 | 158 |
| 1958 | 176 |
| 1959 | 156 |
| 1960 | 160 |
| 1961 | 129 |
| 1962 | 148 |
| 1963 | 121 |
| 1965 | 170 |
| 1966 | 121 |
| 1967 | 142 |
| 1968 | 135 |
| 1969 | 157 |
| 1970 | 150 |
| 1971 | 159 |
| 1972 | 125 |
| 1973 | 152 |
| 1975 | 163 |
| 1977 | 145 |
| 1978 | 156 |
| 1979 | 158 |
| 1981 | 143 |
| 1982 | 169 |
| 1983 | 135 |
| 1984 | 138 |
| 1985 | 132 |
| 1986 | 163 |
| 1987 | 155 |
| 1988 | 156 |
| 1989 | 144 |
| 1990 | 158 |
| 1991 | 155 |
| 1992 | 129 |
| 1993 | 130 |
| 1994 | 135 |
| 1995 | 172 |
| 2000 | 164 |
| 2002 | 147 |
| 2003 | 160 |
| 2004 | 185 |
| 2005 | 176 |
| 2006 | 185 |
| 2007 | 173 |
| 2008 | 171 |
| 2009 | 152 |
| 2010 | 157 |
| 2011 | 154 |
| 2012 | 171 |
| 2013 | 159 |
| 2014 | 164 |
| 2015 | 188 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1957 | 18.4 °C |
| 1958 | 17.9 °C |
| 1959 | 18.6 °C |
| 1960 | 18.0 °C |
| 1961 | 16.8 °C |
| 1962 | 17.3 °C |
| 1963 | 17.4 °C |
| 1966 | 17.4 °C |
| 1967 | 16.7 °C |
| 1968 | 17.8 °C |
| 1969 | 18.1 °C |
| 1970 | 18.7 °C |
| 1971 | 17.8 °C |
| 1972 | 17.2 °C |
| 1973 | 17.7 °C |
| 1974 | 17.2 °C |
| 1975 | 17.8 °C |
| 1977 | 18.7 °C |
| 1978 | 18.3 °C |
| 1979 | 17.7 °C |
| 1981 | 18.5 °C |
| 1982 | 17.7 °C |
| 1983 | 17.7 °C |
| 1984 | 17.3 °C |
| 1985 | 18.3 °C |
| 1989 | 17.7 °C |
| 1995 | 17.9 °C |
| 2000 | 17.6 °C |
| 2002 | 18.3 °C |
| 2003 | 17.4 °C |
| 2004 | 18.0 °C |
| 2005 | 17.9 °C |
| 2006 | 17.5 °C |
| 2007 | 18.4 °C |
| 2008 | 17.7 °C |
| 2009 | 17.8 °C |
| 2010 | 19.4 °C |
| 2011 | 18.7 °C |
| 2012 | 18.4 °C |
| 2013 | 17.4 °C |
| 2014 | 17.8 °C |
| 2015 | 18.6 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1956, Hillsville's last spring frost has come about 2 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 4 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Galax Radio Wbrf (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.