When to plant in Lorton, VA
Planting dates worked out from Lorton's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 10
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 29
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 10
1 year in 10 by Oct 30
Frost-free days
222
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Oxon Hill · 22.6 km away · station 58 m, town 43 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 13 – Feb 27 | Apr 10 – Apr 24 | Jun 4 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 30 – Feb 13 | Apr 10 – Apr 24 | Jun 9 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 30 – Feb 6 | Mar 6 – Mar 20 | Apr 15 |
| Peas | — | Mar 6 – Apr 3 | Apr 30 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 3 – Apr 24 | May 23 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 18 – Apr 29 | May 17 |
| Beet | — | Mar 18 – Apr 29 | May 7 |
| Potato | — | Mar 18 – Apr 8 | May 27 |
| Kale | Jan 30 – Feb 13 | Mar 13 – Mar 27 | Apr 25 |
| Broccoli | Jan 23 – Feb 6 | Mar 6 – Mar 27 | May 5 |
| Cucumber | Mar 13 – Mar 20 | Apr 10 – Apr 24 | May 30 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 13 – Mar 20 | Apr 10 – Apr 24 | May 25 |
| Winter squash | Mar 13 – Mar 20 | Apr 10 – Apr 24 | Jun 29 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 3 – Apr 24 | Jun 2 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 6 – Mar 27 | Jun 4 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 26 – Nov 23 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 6 – Apr 3 | Apr 13 |
| Basil | Feb 27 – Mar 13 | Apr 10 – Apr 24 | Jun 6 |
Lorton'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 |
|---|---|
| 2003 | Apr 1 |
| 2004 | Apr 6 |
| 2005 | Mar 25 |
| 2006 | Mar 23 |
| 2007 | Apr 9 |
| 2008 | Mar 13 |
| 2009 | Mar 26 |
| 2010 | Mar 28 |
| 2011 | Mar 29 |
| 2012 | Mar 11 |
| 2013 | Apr 5 |
| 2014 | Apr 17 |
| 2015 | Mar 30 |
| 2016 | Apr 11 |
| 2017 | Mar 24 |
| 2018 | Apr 9 |
| 2019 | Apr 3 |
| 2020 | Mar 9 |
| 2021 | Apr 4 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 205 |
| 2004 | 217 |
| 2005 | 237 |
| 2006 | 225 |
| 2007 | 215 |
| 2008 | 249 |
| 2009 | 225 |
| 2010 | 244 |
| 2011 | 215 |
| 2012 | 239 |
| 2013 | 203 |
| 2014 | 204 |
| 2015 | 235 |
| 2016 | 215 |
| 2017 | 231 |
| 2018 | 215 |
| 2019 | 219 |
| 2020 | 254 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 20.4 °C |
| 2004 | 21.7 °C |
| 2005 | 21.4 °C |
| 2007 | 22.0 °C |
| 2008 | 21.3 °C |
| 2009 | 20.9 °C |
| 2010 | 22.7 °C |
| 2011 | 22.1 °C |
| 2012 | 21.8 °C |
| 2013 | 20.8 °C |
| 2014 | 20.6 °C |
| 2015 | 21.8 °C |
| 2016 | 21.5 °C |
| 2017 | 21.7 °C |
| 2018 | 21.7 °C |
| 2019 | 22.8 °C |
| 2020 | 21.1 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Oxon Hill (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.