Amherst, VA 24533 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Amherst, VA?
Around 04/15 is the usual last spring frost, about 230 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/25, about 193 frost-free days later.
Amherst 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 8 weeks of growing season left in Amherst 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
04/15 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/31 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/04 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Amherst compares
At roughly 193 frost-free days, Amherst places 19,950 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within VA, it ranks 778 of 1,178.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Amherst can differ from the 24533 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7b and Amherst's frost date answer different questions.