Appalachia, VA 24216 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Appalachia, VA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/20, about 235 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/23, about 186 frost-free days later.
Appalachia sits in USDA Zone 7a (0 to 5°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 8 weeks of growing season left in Appalachia 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
04/20 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/04 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/05 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Appalachia compares
At roughly 186 frost-free days, Appalachia places 22,872 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within VA, it ranks 932 of 1,178.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7a and Appalachia's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Appalachia's dates instead of trusting one.