When to plant in Luray, VA
Planting dates worked out from Luray's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 19
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 2
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 12
1 year in 10 by Oct 1
Frost-free days
164
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Fort Valley Virginia · 19.4 km away · station 244 m, town 243 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 24 – Apr 7 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Jul 13 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 10 – Mar 24 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Jul 18 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 28 – Mar 7 | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | May 14 |
| Peas | — | Mar 21 – Apr 18 | May 15 |
| Bush beans | — | May 12 – Jun 2 | Jul 1 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 11 – May 23 | Jun 10 |
| Beet | — | Apr 4 – May 16 | May 24 |
| Potato | — | Apr 11 – May 2 | Jun 20 |
| Kale | Feb 21 – Mar 7 | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | May 17 |
| Broccoli | Feb 21 – Mar 7 | Apr 4 – Apr 25 | Jun 3 |
| Cucumber | Apr 21 – Apr 28 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Jul 8 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 21 – Apr 28 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Jul 3 |
| Winter squash | Apr 21 – Apr 28 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Aug 7 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 12 – Jun 2 | Jul 11 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 4 – Apr 25 | Jul 3 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 28 – Oct 26 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 21 – Apr 18 | Apr 28 |
| Basil | Apr 7 – Apr 21 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Jul 15 |
Luray'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 |
|---|---|
| 1999 | May 3 |
| 2000 | May 1 |
| 2001 | Apr 29 |
| 2002 | May 22 |
| 2003 | Apr 14 |
| 2004 | Apr 16 |
| 2006 | May 1 |
| 2007 | May 14 |
| 2008 | Apr 30 |
| 2009 | May 19 |
| 2010 | May 10 |
| 2011 | Apr 6 |
| 2012 | Apr 25 |
| 2013 | May 14 |
| 2014 | May 19 |
| 2015 | Apr 27 |
| 2016 | May 16 |
| 2017 | May 9 |
| 2018 | Apr 21 |
| 2019 | Apr 4 |
| 2020 | May 13 |
| 2021 | May 13 |
| 2022 | May 10 |
| 2023 | May 5 |
| 2024 | Apr 23 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 164 |
| 2000 | 163 |
| 2001 | 154 |
| 2002 | 145 |
| 2003 | 170 |
| 2004 | 172 |
| 2006 | 164 |
| 2007 | 166 |
| 2008 | 171 |
| 2009 | 144 |
| 2010 | 164 |
| 2011 | 199 |
| 2012 | 169 |
| 2013 | 159 |
| 2014 | 138 |
| 2015 | 172 |
| 2016 | 147 |
| 2017 | 144 |
| 2018 | 179 |
| 2019 | 197 |
| 2020 | 129 |
| 2021 | 172 |
| 2022 | 151 |
| 2023 | 158 |
| 2024 | 170 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 18.9 °C |
| 2000 | 18.6 °C |
| 2001 | 18.4 °C |
| 2002 | 19.4 °C |
| 2003 | 18.5 °C |
| 2004 | 19.4 °C |
| 2006 | 18.9 °C |
| 2007 | 19.4 °C |
| 2008 | 18.6 °C |
| 2009 | 18.9 °C |
| 2010 | 21.2 °C |
| 2011 | 20.3 °C |
| 2012 | 20.0 °C |
| 2013 | 19.0 °C |
| 2014 | 19.0 °C |
| 2015 | 19.9 °C |
| 2016 | 19.9 °C |
| 2017 | 19.2 °C |
| 2018 | 20.2 °C |
| 2019 | 20.6 °C |
| 2020 | 19.1 °C |
| 2021 | 19.7 °C |
| 2022 | 19.5 °C |
| 2023 | 19.2 °C |
| 2024 | 20.6 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Fort Valley Virginia (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.