Last Frost Date Northern Virginia?

I know that I should be able to find this information somewhere, but I have no idea where. Does anyone know the date, and can you provide a source so I don't have to ask next year?

here's a site I found by Googling "last frost date zone 7a"

http://www.thegardenhelper.com/hardiness.htm

April?!?! OMG...they're kidding!!! I've got a house full of "stuff" that needs to go outside...been babying it since last fall!! LOL

Yup! I even bring my Brugmansia trees (in large containers) outdoors in mid-April. They do just fine!!

I hope that frost date is closer to April 1st then the end of April..I'm telling you the tribe (aka my four teenagers) are sqawking about the amount of plants...LOL I keep reminding them that 1/4 of them at least will be - put into the ground soon....real soon....LOL

Although not entirely predictable, I always use the date of the full moon as a good indicator of the last frost. Full moons this year April 13 and May 13 would give you some idea of what to expect. I look at it this way - can almost always predict a last frost around April 13, but you can never rule out a chance of frost for May 13 (happened to us last year on Mother's Day weekend!). The chance of frost in May won't harm most perennials, they're hardy enough to take it - but any annuals you might have planted or have in pots would have to be protected because the fresh new growth might get "frosted". Last year we were surprised by a few late frosts that were "harder" than we expected. We had covered our annuals with newspapers and sheets, but the Coleus, for example, all had dieback on their tips - the frost was 'heavy' enough to harm them even through the protection we had given them and it set them back considerably.

After this beautiful 70 degree weekend, its supposed to be in the forties next weekend. That alone makes me glad that I didn't buy anything at the nursery this week!

Amen to that pennefeather...I actually got a little color on my skin...then saw possible snow come Fri.!!! Grrrr!!!

I got this info from sone site. Don't remember - may be Farmer's Almanac
I live in DC so I use Apr 1 as last frost . If furthr inland add a week or so

Days Last First
Season Frost Frost
Norfolk VA 239 Mar. 23 Nov. 17
Richmond VA 198 Apr. 10 Oct. 26
Baltimore MD 231 Mar. 26 Nov. 13

Mercy...as long as it gets here sooner then later...I keep getting plants to go outside KNOWING I've BEEN out of room inside...challenged thinking I tell you. :)

Looked back at some notes I made & where we are (Centreville VA but outside of it and in a low-lying area) had frosts on 4/15 & 4/16 that killed back those ferns that had come up, plus astilbes and a Red Dragon knotweed were damaged pretty badly. Of course, they all came back :)
Also had written that we had frost in early May yet - as RCN48 has already mentioned.
I don't put tomatoes out until after May 1st because I hate going out & covering them any more - just lazy I guess as I used to do it...but I was younger then too!

If you use either Wall o' Waters or cover your tomato cages with sheet plastic when you put them out, you can get tomatoes in the garden in mid-April and get nice growth from the greenhouse you've created. I also like to warm the soil first with plastic laid over the bed. It's not an very attractive option, though, so I do it only on a limited scale.

Have heard comments (good) about those Wall o' Waters from other places also - maybe that'll be my 'new thing' to try this year! The thought of earlier tomatoes is quite enticing...

That late April frost day seems really reasonable after the cold weather and snow flurries we had today.

I suggest you use the virginia coop ext planting guide to last frosts.
Im in the peidmont region.Our last frost is usually april 29th 30th.Since you are in northern virginia you may fall into the western/mountainous region making it around may 10th.They also have a guide for vegtable planting as well.
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/envirohort/426-331/426-331map.html

Great information! It turns out that half of Fairfax county is Piedmont, and half is Tidewater. I think that I would be in the Piedmont section. Thank you!

Geez and the last 30 years I thought the frost date was may 10 to Oct 12
Sure sometimes the weather is reliable in April but mostly NOT!

The confusion may lie in the fact that I am in 6b and I thought McLean VA was too
after all it is only 45 minutes away

Wooly worms and full moons!!
The day I bought my home, May 22nd, snow was pounding the picture window as I signed the papers. I'm in Monroe County, Southern WV, just north of Roanoke. The weather you cannot control, you know that. But you can't take chances with tender plants and lost revenue.
Because of frost we get some fruit from our orchard about one of 3 years. Plums, pears and peaches rarely, cherries sometimes, but most of the apples do well. One year we got nothing at all.
The Professional Orchardists across the street hire helicopters to blow on the trees during spring frosts; I can't afford that... nor their fruit.
A good estimation for this area, Zone 4-5, is MAY 15th. We did raise perennials commercially but customers wanted items that couldn't be grown here. There are very hardy hibiscus available, however, they want the Florida variety...go figure. (example).
Shopping centers/Lowes/Walmart have beautiful flowers in now. and they smell great. These have been forced in greenhouses and delivered in controlled trucks on nice days. Don't buy these unless you have greenhouses or cold frames to store them for 30 more days.
And, if you want to make shore your plants grow to their best, you will remove ALL BLOOM. I know this is callous but the bloom draws energy; food, water and heat from the young hair roots that could be going to invigorate the plant, making it stronger to produce even more flower/fruit. Don't fertilize the first 3 weeks, then only with 50% strength. Good luck with the weather.

In searching for that date here in Pittsburgh, I came across this link:
http://www.perpetualplanet.com/lifestyle/GardenPlan.aspx
Just choose your city from the drop-down list, and the date changes.

It says April 25 for here, but I've always heard mid-May. In the past I've always planted my annuals on Mother's Day weekend...it's become a tradition!

Your welcome for the link.I use it often myself.

Thanks for the link.

Its beautiful outside, and I can't stand it anymore. I am planting today!!!


Well, maybe just the perenials, and ornamental grasses, and roses, but the annuals are coming out real soon!!

What IS with the 30's at the night?!!! The weather man's got to be kidding...please someone tell me this is a bad dream. "There's no place like spring *click the heels* there's no place like spring..." Come on say it with me! LOL

Despite the pain of bringing the potted annuals close to the house at night, I love being able to get out in the morning for the first few hours without the bugs; and my digging abilities seem to be tripled at 40 degrees. :)

Mickgene,

Hopefully all of your work will pay off , and you sell your house.

I have neighbor who just sold his house last month in one week! I also have another neighbor, just around the corner from the first who's house has been on the market since October! It was severly overpriced. Now the price has come down, but the house has been on the market so long, everyone thinks that there is a problem.

Cheryl, I live about 90 miles south of Pittsburgh, and the locals here told me not to plant out tenders before Mother's Day too. I've been putting out perennials for a few weeks now, though, and they seem to have survived the couple of light frosts we've had.

pam