When to plant in Pantops, VA
Planting dates worked out from Pantops's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 14
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 1
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 2
1 year in 10 by Oct 19
Frost-free days
211
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Monticello · 2.5 km away · station 230 m, town 111 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 17 – Mar 3 | Apr 14 – Apr 28 | Jun 8 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 3 – Feb 17 | Apr 14 – Apr 28 | Jun 13 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 31 – Feb 7 | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | Apr 16 |
| Peas | — | Mar 7 – Apr 4 | May 1 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 7 – Apr 28 | May 27 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 19 – Apr 30 | May 18 |
| Beet | — | Mar 19 – Apr 30 | May 8 |
| Potato | — | Mar 19 – Apr 9 | May 28 |
| Kale | Jan 31 – Feb 14 | Mar 14 – Mar 28 | Apr 26 |
| Broccoli | Jan 24 – Feb 7 | Mar 7 – Mar 28 | May 6 |
| Cucumber | Mar 17 – Mar 24 | Apr 14 – Apr 28 | Jun 3 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 17 – Mar 24 | Apr 14 – Apr 28 | May 29 |
| Winter squash | Mar 17 – Mar 24 | Apr 14 – Apr 28 | Jul 3 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 7 – Apr 28 | Jun 6 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 7 – Mar 28 | Jun 5 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 19 – Nov 16 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 7 – Apr 4 | Apr 14 |
| Basil | Mar 3 – Mar 17 | Apr 14 – Apr 28 | Jun 10 |
Pantops'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 |
|---|---|
| 1983 | Apr 19 |
| 1984 | Mar 29 |
| 1985 | Apr 18 |
| 1986 | Mar 24 |
| 1987 | Apr 7 |
| 1989 | Apr 24 |
| 1990 | Apr 12 |
| 1991 | Apr 2 |
| 1993 | Mar 20 |
| 1994 | Mar 25 |
| 1995 | Mar 10 |
| 1997 | Apr 9 |
| 1999 | Mar 25 |
| 2000 | Apr 14 |
| 2001 | Apr 1 |
| 2002 | Apr 6 |
| 2003 | Apr 17 |
| 2004 | Apr 5 |
| 2005 | Mar 22 |
| 2006 | Apr 9 |
| 2007 | Apr 11 |
| 2009 | Apr 8 |
| 2010 | Mar 28 |
| 2011 | Mar 30 |
| 2012 | Mar 12 |
| 2013 | Apr 5 |
| 2014 | Apr 18 |
| 2015 | Mar 30 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1983 | 207 |
| 1984 | 223 |
| 1985 | 228 |
| 1987 | 198 |
| 1989 | 193 |
| 1991 | 188 |
| 1994 | 238 |
| 1995 | 238 |
| 1997 | 195 |
| 1999 | 213 |
| 2000 | 198 |
| 2001 | 209 |
| 2002 | 214 |
| 2003 | 167 |
| 2004 | 217 |
| 2005 | 239 |
| 2006 | 206 |
| 2007 | 210 |
| 2009 | 241 |
| 2010 | 218 |
| 2011 | 212 |
| 2012 | 237 |
| 2013 | 203 |
| 2014 | 203 |
| 2015 | 201 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1983 | 20.3 °C |
| 1984 | 19.5 °C |
| 1985 | 20.6 °C |
| 1986 | 20.3 °C |
| 1987 | 20.7 °C |
| 1988 | 20.0 °C |
| 1989 | 19.1 °C |
| 1990 | 19.8 °C |
| 1991 | 21.0 °C |
| 1993 | 20.6 °C |
| 1994 | 20.6 °C |
| 1995 | 20.0 °C |
| 1996 | 19.8 °C |
| 1997 | 18.9 °C |
| 1998 | 20.7 °C |
| 1999 | 20.1 °C |
| 2000 | 19.4 °C |
| 2001 | 19.6 °C |
| 2002 | 20.7 °C |
| 2003 | 18.5 °C |
| 2004 | 19.4 °C |
| 2005 | 20.4 °C |
| 2006 | 20.2 °C |
| 2007 | 19.9 °C |
| 2009 | 19.0 °C |
| 2010 | 21.2 °C |
| 2011 | 20.2 °C |
| 2012 | 20.3 °C |
| 2013 | 19.4 °C |
| 2014 | 19.7 °C |
| 2015 | 20.5 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Monticello (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.