Charlottesville, VA 22936 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Charlottesville, VA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/03, about 218 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/01, about 211 frost-free days later.
Zone 7b (5 to 10°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Charlottesville, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 9 weeks of growing season left in Charlottesville before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
How much risk comes with planting early here
04/03 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/19 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/23 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Charlottesville compares
About 211 days separate Charlottesville's last and first frost, putting it 14,718 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within VA, it ranks 384 of 1,178.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Charlottesville can differ from the 22936 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7b and Charlottesville's frost date answer different questions.