Drakes Branch, VA 23937 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Drakes Branch, VA?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/08, roughly 223 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/01, about 206 frost-free days later.
Drakes Branch sits in USDA Zone 7b (5 to 10°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 9 weeks of growing season left in Drakes Branch before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/08 isn't a guarantee
04/08 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/24 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/25 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Drakes Branch compares
About 206 days separate Drakes Branch's last and first frost, putting it 16,092 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within VA, it ranks 498 of 1,178.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Drakes Branch can differ from the 23937 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7b and Drakes Branch's frost date answer different questions.