When to plant in Bradley, WV

Planting dates worked out from Bradley's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.

Safe to plant out

May 23

1 year in 10 has a later frost

Average last frost

May 11

about a 50% chance of a later one

Average first fall frost

Oct 11

1 year in 10 by Sep 29

Frost-free days

154

median, 1991–2020

Station used: Beckley Va Hospital · 11.2 km away · station 710 m, town 676 m. How we match towns to stations

This season

Plan your garden.

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Planting dates for common crops

Crop	Start indoors	Plant out or sow	Harvest from
Tomato	Mar 28 – Apr 11	May 23 – Jun 6	Jul 17
Sweet pepper	Mar 14 – Mar 28	May 23 – Jun 6	Jul 22
Lettuce (leaf)	Mar 9 – Mar 16	Apr 13 – Apr 27	May 23
Peas	—	Mar 30 – Apr 27	May 24
Bush beans	—	May 16 – Jun 6	Jul 5
Carrot	—	Apr 20 – Jun 1	Jun 19
Beet	—	Apr 13 – May 25	Jun 2
Potato	—	Apr 20 – May 11	Jun 29
Kale	Mar 2 – Mar 16	Apr 13 – Apr 27	May 26
Broccoli	Mar 2 – Mar 16	Apr 13 – May 4	Jun 12
Cucumber	Apr 25 – May 2	May 23 – Jun 6	Jul 12
Summer squash and zucchini	Apr 25 – May 2	May 23 – Jun 6	Jul 7
Winter squash	Apr 25 – May 2	May 23 – Jun 6	Aug 11
Sweet corn	—	May 16 – Jun 6	Jul 15
Onion (from sets)	—	Apr 13 – May 4	Jul 12
Garlic	—	Sep 27 – Oct 25 (fall)	following summer
Spinach	—	Mar 30 – Apr 27	May 7
Basil	Apr 11 – Apr 25	May 23 – Jun 6	Jul 19

Plan all 65 crops for Bradley

Bradley'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
1901	Apr 21
1902	May 28
1907	May 23
1908	May 1
1909	May 12
1910	May 15
1911	May 7
1912	Apr 11
1913	May 12
1915	Apr 19
1916	May 19
1917	Apr 16
1918	May 2
1921	Apr 18
1922	May 1
1923	May 11
1924	Apr 23
1925	May 25
1926	Apr 28
1931	Apr 30
1932	May 3
1933	Jun 15
1934	May 26
1935	May 1
1937	May 11
1938	May 13
1939	May 14
1940	May 12
1941	May 13
1942	Apr 23
1943	May 5
1946	Apr 28
1948	Apr 10
1949	May 27
1950	Apr 22
1951	May 13
1952	May 14
1953	Apr 28
1954	May 22
1955	Jun 1
1956	May 25
1957	May 7
1958	Apr 26
1959	May 17
1960	May 2
1961	May 28
1962	Apr 25
1963	May 24
1964	Apr 16
1965	Apr 29
1966	Jun 2
1967	May 17
1968	May 7
1969	May 13
1970	May 7
1971	May 23
1972	Jun 11
1973	May 18
1974	May 28
1975	Apr 27
1976	May 27
1977	Jun 8
1978	May 11
1979	May 17
1981	May 21
1982	May 1
1983	May 27
1984	May 17
1985	Apr 12
1986	May 4
1988	May 3
1989	May 12
1990	Apr 19
1991	Apr 25
1992	Apr 29
1993	May 21
1994	May 28
1995	Apr 29
1996	May 14
1997	May 22
1998	Apr 29
2000	May 1
2001	May 15
2002	May 23
2003	Apr 25
2004	May 5
2005	May 6
2006	May 23
2007	May 20
2008	May 1
2009	May 20
2010	May 11
2011	May 6
2012	May 12
2013	May 26
2014	May 24
2015	Apr 29
2016	May 17
2017	May 10
2018	May 2
2019	May 17
2020	May 13
2021	May 16
2022	Apr 28
2023	May 6
2024	Apr 24
2025	May 11
2026	May 15

Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Frost-free days
1901	165
1907	137
1909	138
1910	162
1912	172
1913	132
1916	107
1917	167
1918	142
1921	172
1922	164
1923	144
1924	160
1925	137
1931	151
1932	149
1933	112
1934	139
1935	151
1937	129
1938	141
1939	151
1940	122
1941	150
1942	151
1943	135
1948	187
1949	120
1950	154
1951	138
1952	132
1953	138
1954	123
1955	129
1956	107
1957	157
1958	155
1959	124
1960	171
1961	129
1962	148
1963	121
1964	150
1965	149
1966	125
1967	130
1968	149
1969	138
1970	149
1971	137
1972	111
1973	151
1974	118
1975	138
1976	118
1977	117
1978	150
1979	146
1981	125
1982	168
1983	118
1984	122
1985	154
1986	155
1988	154
1989	134
1991	154
1992	153
1993	132
1994	134
1995	169
1996	150
1997	132
1998	168
2000	137
2001	138
2002	147
2003	157
2004	159
2005	171
2007	161
2008	170
2009	150
2010	158
2011	168
2012	134
2013	146
2014	133
2015	183
2016	158
2017	159
2018	169
2019	149
2020	142
2021	155
2022	152
2023	154
2024	168
2025	158

Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Growing-season temperature
1896	18.2 °C
1898	17.1 °C
1899	17.8 °C
1901	17.1 °C
1907	15.8 °C
1909	17.6 °C
1910	16.9 °C
1911	17.9 °C
1912	17.1 °C
1914	18.0 °C
1916	18.1 °C
1917	17.3 °C
1918	17.8 °C
1919	19.0 °C
1921	17.9 °C
1922	17.1 °C
1923	16.1 °C
1924	16.5 °C
1925	18.7 °C
1931	19.2 °C
1932	18.1 °C
1934	18.4 °C
1935	16.9 °C
1937	17.1 °C
1938	17.2 °C
1939	17.0 °C
1940	15.4 °C
1941	18.6 °C
1942	17.9 °C
1943	18.0 °C
1948	18.3 °C
1949	18.0 °C
1950	17.0 °C
1951	16.8 °C
1952	17.4 °C
1953	17.7 °C
1954	17.3 °C
1955	17.6 °C
1956	16.3 °C
1957	18.1 °C
1958	17.0 °C
1959	17.9 °C
1960	17.4 °C
1961	16.0 °C
1962	16.8 °C
1963	16.2 °C
1964	17.3 °C
1965	17.6 °C
1966	16.3 °C
1967	15.9 °C
1968	16.8 °C
1969	17.1 °C
1970	17.8 °C
1971	16.4 °C
1972	16.1 °C
1973	16.8 °C
1974	16.3 °C
1975	16.8 °C
1976	15.3 °C
1977	17.3 °C
1978	17.1 °C
1979	16.3 °C
1981	16.8 °C
1982	16.4 °C
1983	16.8 °C
1986	18.2 °C
1987	18.0 °C
1988	17.5 °C
1989	16.9 °C
1990	16.9 °C
1991	18.0 °C
1992	16.0 °C
1993	17.1 °C
1994	16.6 °C
1995	17.1 °C
1996	16.5 °C
1997	14.7 °C
1998	16.8 °C
2000	16.4 °C
2001	16.4 °C
2002	17.0 °C
2003	16.0 °C
2004	16.3 °C
2005	16.6 °C
2006	16.0 °C
2007	16.8 °C
2008	15.9 °C
2009	16.0 °C
2010	17.5 °C
2011	17.1 °C
2012	16.9 °C
2013	16.3 °C
2014	16.6 °C
2015	16.9 °C
2016	17.3 °C
2017	16.8 °C
2018	17.8 °C
2019	17.8 °C
2020	16.6 °C
2021	16.2 °C
2022	16.6 °C
2023	16.0 °C
2024	17.7 °C
2025	17.1 °C
2026	17.4 °C

What this means for you: Since 1901, Bradley's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.

Source: daily records from Beckley Va Hospital (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.

Nearby towns

Prosperity Mount Hope Stanaford Beckley Mabscott MacArthur