When to plant in Plum Creek, VA
Planting dates worked out from Plum Creek's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 30
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 16
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 23
1 year in 10 by Oct 9
Frost-free days
186
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Christiansburg · 8.6 km away · station 640 m, town 551 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 5 – Mar 19 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 24 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 19 – Mar 5 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 29 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 12 – Feb 19 | Mar 19 – Apr 2 | Apr 28 |
| Peas | — | Mar 15 – Apr 12 | May 9 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 23 – May 14 | Jun 12 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 26 – May 7 | May 25 |
| Beet | — | Mar 25 – May 6 | May 14 |
| Potato | — | Mar 26 – Apr 16 | Jun 4 |
| Kale | Feb 8 – Feb 22 | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | May 4 |
| Broccoli | Feb 5 – Feb 19 | Mar 19 – Apr 9 | May 18 |
| Cucumber | Apr 2 – Apr 9 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 19 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 2 – Apr 9 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 14 |
| Winter squash | Apr 2 – Apr 9 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jul 19 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 23 – May 14 | Jun 22 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 19 – Apr 9 | Jun 17 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 9 – Nov 6 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 15 – Apr 12 | Apr 22 |
| Basil | Mar 19 – Apr 2 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 26 |
Plum Creek'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 |
|---|---|
| 1996 | Apr 11 |
| 1997 | Apr 19 |
| 1998 | Apr 28 |
| 1999 | Mar 28 |
| 2000 | Apr 10 |
| 2001 | Apr 20 |
| 2002 | May 23 |
| 2003 | Apr 1 |
| 2004 | Apr 7 |
| 2005 | Apr 24 |
| 2006 | Apr 11 |
| 2007 | Apr 11 |
| 2008 | May 1 |
| 2009 | Apr 12 |
| 2010 | Mar 28 |
| 2011 | Apr 6 |
| 2012 | Apr 13 |
| 2013 | Apr 23 |
| 2014 | Apr 18 |
| 2015 | Apr 6 |
| 2016 | Apr 11 |
| 2017 | Apr 7 |
| 2018 | Apr 18 |
| 2019 | Apr 16 |
| 2020 | May 11 |
| 2021 | Apr 24 |
| 2022 | Apr 21 |
| 2023 | Apr 25 |
| 2024 | Apr 8 |
| 2025 | Apr 14 |
| 2026 | Apr 22 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 176 |
| 1997 | 186 |
| 1998 | 177 |
| 1999 | 206 |
| 2000 | 181 |
| 2001 | 170 |
| 2002 | 162 |
| 2003 | 184 |
| 2004 | 215 |
| 2005 | 185 |
| 2006 | 184 |
| 2007 | 200 |
| 2008 | 171 |
| 2009 | 189 |
| 2010 | 215 |
| 2011 | 198 |
| 2012 | 199 |
| 2013 | 184 |
| 2014 | 195 |
| 2015 | 195 |
| 2016 | 214 |
| 2017 | 205 |
| 2018 | 184 |
| 2019 | 198 |
| 2020 | 174 |
| 2021 | 192 |
| 2022 | 171 |
| 2023 | 189 |
| 2024 | 222 |
| 2025 | 193 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 17.5 °C |
| 1998 | 19.4 °C |
| 1999 | 18.8 °C |
| 2000 | 18.4 °C |
| 2001 | 18.4 °C |
| 2002 | 19.2 °C |
| 2003 | 17.8 °C |
| 2004 | 18.5 °C |
| 2005 | 18.9 °C |
| 2006 | 18.4 °C |
| 2007 | 19.3 °C |
| 2008 | 18.0 °C |
| 2009 | 18.2 °C |
| 2010 | 20.0 °C |
| 2011 | 19.0 °C |
| 2012 | 18.5 °C |
| 2013 | 17.6 °C |
| 2014 | 18.0 °C |
| 2015 | 18.6 °C |
| 2016 | 18.8 °C |
| 2017 | 18.2 °C |
| 2018 | 19.0 °C |
| 2019 | 19.5 °C |
| 2020 | 17.5 °C |
| 2021 | 18.5 °C |
| 2022 | 18.7 °C |
| 2023 | 17.9 °C |
| 2024 | 19.2 °C |
| 2025 | 18.9 °C |
| 2026 | 19.4 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1996, Plum Creek's last spring frost has come about 1 day later per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 5 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Christiansburg (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.