When to plant in Despard, WV

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

Safe to plant out

May 12

1 year in 10 has a later frost

Average last frost

Apr 25

about a 50% chance of a later one

Average first fall frost

Oct 20

1 year in 10 by Oct 8

Frost-free days

172

median, 1991–2020

Station used: Clarksburg 1 · 4.6 km away · station 307 m, town 318 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 17 – Mar 31	May 12 – May 26	Jul 6
Sweet pepper	Mar 3 – Mar 17	May 12 – May 26	Jul 11
Lettuce (leaf)	Feb 21 – Feb 28	Mar 28 – Apr 11	May 7
Peas	—	Mar 21 – Apr 18	May 15
Bush beans	—	May 5 – May 26	Jun 24
Carrot	—	Apr 4 – May 16	Jun 3
Beet	—	Mar 30 – May 11	May 19
Potato	—	Apr 4 – Apr 25	Jun 13
Kale	Feb 14 – Feb 28	Mar 28 – Apr 11	May 10
Broccoli	Feb 14 – Feb 28	Mar 28 – Apr 18	May 27
Cucumber	Apr 14 – Apr 21	May 12 – May 26	Jul 1
Summer squash and zucchini	Apr 14 – Apr 21	May 12 – May 26	Jun 26
Winter squash	Apr 14 – Apr 21	May 12 – May 26	Jul 31
Sweet corn	—	May 5 – May 26	Jul 4
Onion (from sets)	—	Mar 28 – Apr 18	Jun 26
Garlic	—	Oct 6 – Nov 3 (fall)	following summer
Spinach	—	Mar 21 – Apr 18	Apr 28
Basil	Mar 31 – Apr 14	May 12 – May 26	Jul 8

Plan all 65 crops for Despard

Despard'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
1923	May 10
1924	Apr 24
1925	May 8
1926	Apr 27
1927	May 1
1928	May 13
1929	May 4
1930	Apr 27
1931	May 4
1932	May 3
1933	Apr 28
1934	Apr 29
1935	May 1
1936	Apr 25
1937	Apr 17
1938	May 13
1939	May 4
1940	May 12
1941	May 13
1942	Apr 23
1943	May 5
1944	May 8
1945	May 3
1946	Apr 28
1947	May 12
1948	Apr 18
1949	Apr 20
1950	Apr 22
1951	Apr 24
1952	May 3
1953	Apr 23
1954	May 5
1955	Apr 11
1956	May 17
1957	May 6
1958	Apr 30
1959	Apr 24
1960	May 2
1961	May 4
1962	Apr 24
1963	May 24
1964	Apr 16
1965	Apr 17
1966	May 11
1967	May 4
1968	May 7
1969	May 1
1970	May 8
1973	May 17
1974	May 8
1975	Apr 28
1976	Apr 15
1977	May 12
1978	May 4
1979	Apr 30
1981	May 4
1986	May 5
1987	Apr 29
1989	Apr 24
1990	Apr 20
1991	Apr 12
1992	Apr 30
1993	Apr 28
1994	Apr 24
1995	Apr 26
1996	May 15
1997	Apr 21
1998	Apr 13
1999	Apr 15
2000	Apr 28
2001	Apr 20
2002	May 23
2003	Apr 25
2004	May 5
2005	May 5
2006	Apr 11
2007	Apr 14
2008	Apr 17
2009	Apr 12
2010	May 10
2011	Apr 7
2012	Apr 25
2013	May 15
2014	Apr 25
2016	Apr 15
2017	May 10
2018	May 1
2019	Apr 4
2021	Apr 24
2022	Apr 29
2023	May 5
2024	Apr 26
2025	Apr 18

Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Frost-free days
1923	148
1924	179
1925	155
1926	177
1927	167
1928	135
1929	157
1930	157
1931	166
1932	171
1933	168
1934	166
1935	151
1936	184
1937	173
1938	147
1939	161
1940	136
1941	151
1942	154
1943	152
1944	160
1945	153
1946	167
1947	138
1948	182
1949	189
1950	186
1951	157
1952	153
1953	167
1954	155
1955	196
1956	126
1957	158
1958	154
1959	171
1960	171
1961	175
1962	149
1963	122
1964	172
1965	170
1966	148
1967	161
1968	150
1969	166
1970	161
1973	154
1974	138
1976	185
1977	157
1978	166
1979	167
1981	162
1986	166
1987	157
1989	168
1990	182
1991	178
1992	170
1993	155
1994	169
1995	173
1996	149
1997	182
1998	192
1999	192
2000	162
2001	169
2002	162
2003	160
2004	165
2005	172
2006	184
2007	197
2008	184
2009	189
2010	165
2011	205
2012	168
2013	162
2014	191
2016	210
2017	170
2019	211
2021	192
2022	162
2023	171

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

See the data as a table

Year	Growing-season temperature
1923	18.8 °C
1924	18.4 °C
1925	19.7 °C
1926	18.6 °C
1927	17.9 °C
1928	17.9 °C
1929	18.7 °C
1930	19.3 °C
1931	19.4 °C
1932	18.7 °C
1933	19.7 °C
1934	19.9 °C
1935	18.3 °C
1936	19.2 °C
1937	18.3 °C
1938	19.1 °C
1939	19.4 °C
1940	17.8 °C
1941	19.2 °C
1942	18.4 °C
1943	17.9 °C
1944	18.6 °C
1945	17.7 °C
1946	17.6 °C
1947	18.4 °C
1948	18.7 °C
1949	18.7 °C
1950	17.6 °C
1951	18.5 °C
1952	19.1 °C
1953	19.3 °C
1954	19.0 °C
1955	19.6 °C
1956	17.6 °C
1957	19.7 °C
1958	18.3 °C
1959	20.0 °C
1960	19.2 °C
1961	18.1 °C
1962	17.9 °C
1963	17.2 °C
1964	18.4 °C
1965	19.0 °C
1966	17.8 °C
1967	17.8 °C
1968	18.8 °C
1969	19.6 °C
1970	19.1 °C
1971	17.4 °C
1973	18.4 °C
1974	17.8 °C
1975	18.4 °C
1976	17.1 °C
1977	18.6 °C
1978	18.7 °C
1979	18.1 °C
1981	18.3 °C
1986	18.9 °C
1987	19.1 °C
1989	17.7 °C
1990	18.0 °C
1991	19.8 °C
1992	17.6 °C
1993	18.8 °C
1994	18.1 °C
1995	18.7 °C
1996	18.1 °C
1997	16.8 °C
1998	19.2 °C
1999	19.1 °C
2000	18.4 °C
2001	18.7 °C
2002	19.6 °C
2003	18.6 °C
2004	18.9 °C
2005	19.4 °C
2006	18.6 °C
2007	19.1 °C
2008	18.7 °C
2009	18.4 °C
2010	20.5 °C
2011	19.7 °C
2012	19.4 °C
2013	18.8 °C
2014	18.7 °C
2016	20.2 °C
2017	19.5 °C
2019	20.4 °C
2021	19.8 °C
2022	19.6 °C
2023	18.8 °C

What this means for you: Since 1923, Despard's last spring frost has come about 1 day earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 2 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.

Source: daily records from Clarksburg 1 (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.

Nearby towns

Nutter Fort Clarksburg Stonewood Bridgeport Bethlehem Shinnston