Frost Report

All states Virginia

Frost dates for South Hill, VA

When the last spring frost and first fall frost usually come, and when to plant, from 30 years of NOAA weather records.

Last spring frost

April 5

typical year

Safe to plant

April 19

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

November 1

typical year

Growing season

210 days

frost-free, typical year

When to plant

Counted from this page's frost dates. Warm-season crops wait for the safe-to-plant date.

CropStart indoorsPlant outsideFall planting
Cool-season crops
Peas – Mar 8 – 22 –
Spinach – Feb 22 – Mar 15 Sep 6 – 20
Lettuce – Mar 8 – 29 Sep 6 – 20
Radishes – Mar 8 – Apr 19 Sep 20 – Oct 4
Onions – Mar 8 – 22 –
Potatoes – Mar 15 – 29 –
Carrots – Mar 15 – Apr 5 Aug 9 – 23
Beets – Mar 8 – 22 Aug 23 – Sep 6
Kale Jan 25 – Feb 8 Mar 8 – 22 Aug 23 – Sep 6
Broccoli Jan 25 – Feb 8 Mar 22 – Apr 5 Aug 23 – Sep 6
Cabbage Jan 11 – 25 Mar 8 – 22 Aug 23 – Sep 6
Garlic – – Sep 20 – Oct 11
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Feb 22 – Mar 8 Apr 19 – May 3 –
Peppers Feb 15 – Mar 1 Apr 26 – May 10 –
Cucumbers – Apr 19 – May 10 –
Zucchini – Apr 19 – May 17 –
Pumpkins – Apr 19 – May 10 –
Green beans – Apr 19 – Aug 23 –
Sweet corn – Apr 19 – May 17 –
Basil Mar 15 – 29 Apr 26 – May 3 –

Onions: from sets. Green beans: until 10 weeks before the first fall frost. Garlic: harvest next summer.

The year at a glance

Start indoors Plant outside Fall planting

The chance of frost, by date

1 year in 10Half of years9 years in 10
Spring frost after April 19April 5March 20
Fall frost before October 20November 1November 14

Frost here means 32°F or colder. Read across: in 1 year in 10, spring frost carries on past the first date, which is why that date is the safe-to-plant date.

Hard freeze (28°F)

A hard freeze kills most garden plants, even hardy ones. The last one in spring usually comes around March 24 (April 7 in a late year), and the first one in fall around November 11.

Towns that use these dates

This is the nearest NOAA station with frost records for 3 towns.

South Hill, La Crosse, Boydton

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station JOHN H KERR DAM, VA US (USC00444414), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 7 zip codes, all within 13 miles:

23915, 23917, 23919, 23950, 23970, 27553, 27594

Planting dates follow common university extension advice; your local extension service can fine-tune them for your soil and microclimate.