When to plant in Norfolk, VA
Planting dates worked out from Norfolk's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 2
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 22
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 19
1 year in 10 by Nov 13
Frost-free days
240
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Norfolk S · 5.7 km away · station 3 m, town 2 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 5 – Feb 19 | Apr 2 – Apr 16 | May 27 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 22 – Feb 5 | Apr 2 – Apr 16 | Jun 1 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 18 – Jan 25 | Feb 22 – Mar 8 | Apr 3 |
| Peas | — | Feb 15 – Mar 15 | Apr 11 |
| Bush beans | — | Mar 26 – Apr 16 | May 15 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 5 – Apr 16 | May 4 |
| Beet | — | Mar 5 – Apr 16 | Apr 24 |
| Potato | — | Mar 5 – Mar 26 | May 14 |
| Kale | Jan 11 – Jan 25 | Feb 22 – Mar 8 | Apr 6 |
| Broccoli | Jan 11 – Jan 25 | Feb 22 – Mar 15 | Apr 23 |
| Cucumber | Mar 5 – Mar 12 | Apr 2 – Apr 16 | May 22 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 5 – Mar 12 | Apr 2 – Apr 16 | May 17 |
| Winter squash | Mar 5 – Mar 12 | Apr 2 – Apr 16 | Jun 21 |
| Sweet corn | — | Mar 26 – Apr 16 | May 25 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 22 – Mar 15 | May 23 |
| Garlic | — | Nov 5 – Dec 3 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 15 – Mar 15 | Mar 25 |
| Basil | Feb 19 – Mar 5 | Apr 2 – Apr 16 | May 29 |
Norfolk'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 |
|---|---|
| 2004 | Mar 23 |
| 2005 | Mar 19 |
| 2006 | Mar 22 |
| 2007 | Apr 10 |
| 2008 | Mar 10 |
| 2010 | Mar 17 |
| 2011 | Mar 29 |
| 2012 | Mar 11 |
| 2013 | Mar 26 |
| 2014 | Mar 27 |
| 2015 | Mar 30 |
| 2016 | Apr 6 |
| 2017 | Mar 24 |
| 2018 | Mar 17 |
| 2019 | Mar 13 |
| 2020 | Mar 8 |
| 2021 | Mar 8 |
| 2022 | Mar 29 |
| 2023 | Mar 21 |
| 2024 | Mar 1 |
| 2025 | Mar 3 |
| 2026 | Mar 29 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 2004 | 236 |
| 2005 | 243 |
| 2006 | 226 |
| 2007 | 220 |
| 2008 | 253 |
| 2010 | 255 |
| 2011 | 227 |
| 2012 | 258 |
| 2013 | 231 |
| 2014 | 232 |
| 2015 | 237 |
| 2016 | 220 |
| 2017 | 243 |
| 2018 | 249 |
| 2019 | 244 |
| 2020 | 255 |
| 2021 | 260 |
| 2022 | 233 |
| 2023 | 251 |
| 2024 | 273 |
| 2025 | 270 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 21.9 °C |
| 2004 | 22.6 °C |
| 2005 | 22.0 °C |
| 2006 | 22.2 °C |
| 2007 | 22.0 °C |
| 2008 | 22.3 °C |
| 2010 | 23.5 °C |
| 2011 | 23.1 °C |
| 2012 | 22.0 °C |
| 2013 | 21.6 °C |
| 2014 | 21.7 °C |
| 2015 | 22.6 °C |
| 2016 | 22.2 °C |
| 2017 | 22.6 °C |
| 2018 | 23.1 °C |
| 2019 | 23.3 °C |
| 2020 | 22.2 °C |
| 2021 | 22.3 °C |
| 2022 | 22.6 °C |
| 2023 | 22.2 °C |
| 2024 | 22.5 °C |
| 2025 | 22.8 °C |
| 2026 | 23.3 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Norfolk S (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.