When to plant in Waverly, VA
Planting dates worked out from Waverly's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 25
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 14
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 27
1 year in 10 by Oct 14
Frost-free days
192
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Wakefield 1 Nw · 9.7 km away · station 34 m, town 34 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 28 – Mar 14 | Apr 25 – May 9 | Jun 19 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 14 – Feb 28 | Apr 25 – May 9 | Jun 24 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 10 – Feb 17 | Mar 17 – Mar 31 | Apr 26 |
| Peas | — | Mar 3 – Mar 31 | Apr 27 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 18 – May 9 | Jun 7 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 24 – May 5 | May 23 |
| Beet | — | Mar 17 – Apr 28 | May 6 |
| Potato | — | Mar 24 – Apr 14 | Jun 2 |
| Kale | Feb 3 – Feb 17 | Mar 17 – Mar 31 | Apr 29 |
| Broccoli | Feb 3 – Feb 17 | Mar 17 – Apr 7 | May 16 |
| Cucumber | Mar 28 – Apr 4 | Apr 25 – May 9 | Jun 14 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 28 – Apr 4 | Apr 25 – May 9 | Jun 9 |
| Winter squash | Mar 28 – Apr 4 | Apr 25 – May 9 | Jul 14 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 18 – May 9 | Jun 17 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 17 – Apr 7 | Jun 15 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 13 – Nov 10 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 3 – Mar 31 | Apr 10 |
| Basil | Mar 14 – Mar 28 | Apr 25 – May 9 | Jun 21 |
Waverly'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 21 |
| 1984 | Apr 11 |
| 1985 | Apr 10 |
| 1986 | Mar 25 |
| 1989 | Apr 13 |
| 1991 | Mar 17 |
| 1998 | Apr 13 |
| 1999 | Apr 25 |
| 2000 | Apr 1 |
| 2001 | Apr 19 |
| 2002 | Apr 24 |
| 2003 | Apr 24 |
| 2004 | Apr 16 |
| 2005 | Apr 17 |
| 2006 | Apr 9 |
| 2007 | Apr 10 |
| 2008 | Apr 17 |
| 2009 | Apr 17 |
| 2010 | Mar 28 |
| 2011 | Apr 6 |
| 2012 | Apr 12 |
| 2013 | Apr 22 |
| 2014 | Apr 17 |
| 2015 | Apr 6 |
| 2016 | Apr 16 |
| 2017 | Apr 8 |
| 2018 | Apr 30 |
| 2019 | Apr 2 |
| 2020 | May 10 |
| 2021 | Apr 23 |
| 2022 | Apr 20 |
| 2023 | Apr 11 |
| 2024 | Apr 23 |
| 2025 | Apr 9 |
| 2026 | Apr 21 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1983 | 189 |
| 1985 | 227 |
| 1986 | 209 |
| 1998 | 191 |
| 1999 | 181 |
| 2000 | 192 |
| 2001 | 171 |
| 2002 | 190 |
| 2003 | 182 |
| 2004 | 203 |
| 2005 | 192 |
| 2006 | 187 |
| 2007 | 202 |
| 2008 | 185 |
| 2009 | 202 |
| 2010 | 215 |
| 2011 | 206 |
| 2012 | 203 |
| 2013 | 185 |
| 2014 | 197 |
| 2015 | 194 |
| 2016 | 204 |
| 2018 | 174 |
| 2019 | 214 |
| 2020 | 191 |
| 2021 | 195 |
| 2022 | 181 |
| 2023 | 203 |
| 2024 | 200 |
| 2025 | 215 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1983 | 21.3 °C |
| 1984 | 21.0 °C |
| 1985 | 21.4 °C |
| 1986 | 21.7 °C |
| 1987 | 22.4 °C |
| 1988 | 21.2 °C |
| 1989 | 22.4 °C |
| 1991 | 23.5 °C |
| 1995 | 21.4 °C |
| 1997 | 19.7 °C |
| 1998 | 21.9 °C |
| 1999 | 21.2 °C |
| 2000 | 21.3 °C |
| 2001 | 20.9 °C |
| 2002 | 22.4 °C |
| 2003 | 21.3 °C |
| 2004 | 22.0 °C |
| 2005 | 21.9 °C |
| 2006 | 21.7 °C |
| 2007 | 21.7 °C |
| 2008 | 21.9 °C |
| 2009 | 21.7 °C |
| 2010 | 23.5 °C |
| 2011 | 22.7 °C |
| 2012 | 21.8 °C |
| 2013 | 21.3 °C |
| 2014 | 21.2 °C |
| 2015 | 22.0 °C |
| 2016 | 22.0 °C |
| 2017 | 22.3 °C |
| 2018 | 22.8 °C |
| 2019 | 23.3 °C |
| 2020 | 21.6 °C |
| 2021 | 21.9 °C |
| 2022 | 22.3 °C |
| 2023 | 21.7 °C |
| 2024 | 22.5 °C |
| 2025 | 22.2 °C |
| 2026 | 23.1 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1983, Waverly's last spring frost has come about 3 days later per decade, on average. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Wakefield 1 Nw (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.