When to plant in Winchester, VA
Planting dates worked out from Winchester's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 18
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 9
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 28
1 year in 10 by Oct 12
Frost-free days
207
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Winchester · 1.0 km away · station 220 m, town 216 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 21 – Mar 7 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jun 12 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 7 – Feb 21 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jun 17 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 9 – Feb 16 | Mar 16 – Mar 30 | Apr 25 |
| Peas | — | Mar 16 – Apr 13 | May 10 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 11 – May 2 | May 31 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 26 – May 7 | May 25 |
| Beet | — | Mar 26 – May 7 | May 15 |
| Potato | — | Mar 26 – Apr 16 | Jun 4 |
| Kale | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | May 5 |
| Broccoli | Feb 2 – Feb 16 | Mar 16 – Apr 6 | May 15 |
| Cucumber | Mar 21 – Mar 28 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jun 7 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 21 – Mar 28 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jun 2 |
| Winter squash | Mar 21 – Mar 28 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jul 7 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 11 – May 2 | Jun 10 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 16 – Apr 6 | Jun 14 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 14 – Nov 11 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 16 – Apr 13 | Apr 23 |
| Basil | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jun 14 |
Winchester'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 20 |
| 1984 | Apr 10 |
| 1985 | Apr 11 |
| 1986 | Apr 23 |
| 1987 | Apr 6 |
| 1988 | Apr 20 |
| 1989 | Apr 23 |
| 1991 | Apr 4 |
| 1992 | Apr 14 |
| 1994 | Apr 9 |
| 1995 | Apr 15 |
| 1996 | May 14 |
| 1997 | Apr 15 |
| 1998 | Mar 26 |
| 1999 | Mar 28 |
| 2000 | Apr 13 |
| 2001 | Apr 19 |
| 2002 | Apr 8 |
| 2003 | Apr 1 |
| 2004 | Apr 6 |
| 2005 | Apr 16 |
| 2006 | Apr 9 |
| 2007 | Apr 11 |
| 2008 | Mar 31 |
| 2009 | Apr 12 |
| 2010 | Mar 28 |
| 2011 | Apr 2 |
| 2012 | Apr 12 |
| 2014 | Apr 18 |
| 2015 | Apr 2 |
| 2016 | Apr 11 |
| 2017 | Mar 24 |
| 2018 | Apr 21 |
| 2019 | Apr 3 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1983 | 192 |
| 1984 | 206 |
| 1985 | 198 |
| 1986 | 178 |
| 1987 | 185 |
| 1989 | 194 |
| 1994 | 201 |
| 1995 | 202 |
| 1996 | 150 |
| 1997 | 190 |
| 1998 | 223 |
| 1999 | 220 |
| 2000 | 213 |
| 2001 | 172 |
| 2002 | 207 |
| 2003 | 184 |
| 2004 | 216 |
| 2005 | 209 |
| 2006 | 186 |
| 2007 | 210 |
| 2008 | 200 |
| 2009 | 208 |
| 2010 | 218 |
| 2011 | 209 |
| 2012 | 183 |
| 2014 | 203 |
| 2015 | 199 |
| 2016 | 214 |
| 2017 | 231 |
| 2018 | 183 |
| 2019 | 212 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1983 | 19.1 °C |
| 1984 | 18.8 °C |
| 1985 | 19.0 °C |
| 1986 | 18.9 °C |
| 1987 | 19.3 °C |
| 1989 | 18.6 °C |
| 1992 | 17.8 °C |
| 1994 | 19.4 °C |
| 1995 | 19.5 °C |
| 1996 | 18.7 °C |
| 1997 | 18.2 °C |
| 1998 | 20.7 °C |
| 1999 | 20.4 °C |
| 2000 | 19.2 °C |
| 2001 | 19.1 °C |
| 2002 | 20.2 °C |
| 2003 | 18.9 °C |
| 2004 | 19.9 °C |
| 2005 | 20.1 °C |
| 2006 | 20.0 °C |
| 2007 | 19.9 °C |
| 2008 | 19.5 °C |
| 2009 | 19.2 °C |
| 2010 | 21.2 °C |
| 2011 | 20.4 °C |
| 2012 | 19.8 °C |
| 2014 | 19.2 °C |
| 2015 | 20.3 °C |
| 2016 | 20.4 °C |
| 2017 | 20.3 °C |
| 2018 | 20.3 °C |
| 2019 | 21.7 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1983, Winchester's last spring frost has come about 3 days earlier 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 Winchester (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.