When to plant in Saint Marys, WV
Planting dates worked out from Saint Marys's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 7
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 22
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 22
1 year in 10 by Oct 8
Frost-free days
182
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Newport · 1.2 km away · station 206 m, town 190 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 12 – Mar 26 | May 7 – May 21 | Jul 1 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | May 7 – May 21 | Jul 6 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 18 – Feb 25 | Mar 25 – Apr 8 | May 4 |
| Peas | — | Mar 20 – Apr 17 | May 14 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 30 – May 21 | Jun 19 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 1 – May 13 | May 31 |
| Beet | — | Mar 29 – May 10 | May 18 |
| Potato | — | Apr 1 – Apr 22 | Jun 10 |
| Kale | Feb 13 – Feb 27 | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | May 9 |
| Broccoli | Feb 11 – Feb 25 | Mar 25 – Apr 15 | May 24 |
| Cucumber | Apr 9 – Apr 16 | May 7 – May 21 | Jun 26 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 9 – Apr 16 | May 7 – May 21 | Jun 21 |
| Winter squash | Apr 9 – Apr 16 | May 7 – May 21 | Jul 26 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 30 – May 21 | Jun 29 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 25 – Apr 15 | Jun 23 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 8 – Nov 5 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 20 – Apr 17 | Apr 27 |
| Basil | Mar 26 – Apr 9 | May 7 – May 21 | Jul 3 |
Saint Marys'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 |
|---|---|
| 1988 | Apr 21 |
| 1989 | Apr 25 |
| 1990 | Apr 20 |
| 1991 | Apr 12 |
| 1992 | Apr 7 |
| 1993 | Apr 29 |
| 1994 | Apr 23 |
| 1995 | Apr 27 |
| 1996 | May 15 |
| 1997 | Apr 20 |
| 1998 | Apr 12 |
| 1999 | Apr 25 |
| 2000 | Apr 28 |
| 2002 | Apr 7 |
| 2005 | May 4 |
| 2008 | Apr 17 |
| 2009 | Apr 17 |
| 2010 | Apr 29 |
| 2011 | Apr 14 |
| 2012 | Apr 24 |
| 2013 | Apr 21 |
| 2014 | Apr 17 |
| 2015 | Apr 24 |
| 2016 | Apr 14 |
| 2017 | May 9 |
| 2018 | Apr 30 |
| 2019 | Apr 4 |
| 2020 | May 13 |
| 2021 | Apr 24 |
| 2022 | Apr 28 |
| 2023 | Apr 26 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1988 | 173 |
| 1989 | 192 |
| 1990 | 188 |
| 1991 | 178 |
| 1993 | 164 |
| 1994 | 187 |
| 1995 | 173 |
| 1996 | 170 |
| 1997 | 184 |
| 1998 | 194 |
| 1999 | 182 |
| 2000 | 162 |
| 2005 | 178 |
| 2008 | 184 |
| 2009 | 183 |
| 2012 | 195 |
| 2019 | 211 |
| 2020 | 170 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1988 | 19.4 °C |
| 1989 | 17.9 °C |
| 1990 | 18.3 °C |
| 1991 | 20.2 °C |
| 1992 | 17.7 °C |
| 1993 | 19.1 °C |
| 1994 | 18.2 °C |
| 1995 | 18.9 °C |
| 1996 | 18.3 °C |
| 1997 | 17.2 °C |
| 1998 | 19.4 °C |
| 1999 | 19.7 °C |
| 2000 | 18.5 °C |
| 2002 | 20.4 °C |
| 2005 | 19.8 °C |
| 2009 | 18.4 °C |
| 2010 | 20.0 °C |
| 2011 | 19.5 °C |
| 2012 | 20.0 °C |
| 2014 | 19.6 °C |
| 2017 | 19.5 °C |
| 2018 | 19.9 °C |
| 2019 | 20.4 °C |
| 2020 | 18.9 °C |
| 2021 | 19.3 °C |
| 2022 | 19.2 °C |
| 2023 | 18.4 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1988, Saint Marys's last spring frost has come about 1 day 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 Newport (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.