Suffolk, VA 23434 planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 8a10 to 15 °F
- Last frost
- Mar 27avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Nov 15avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 233days
Suffolk, Virginia is in USDA plant hardiness zone 8a. Its average last spring frost is around March 27 and the first fall frost around November 15, giving a growing season of about 233 days (NOAA 1991–2020 normals, 32°F, median). Start tender crops like tomatoes and peppers indoors weeks before the last frost and set them out afterward; sow hardy crops such as peas, spinach, and lettuce before it. The planner below turns those frost dates into a printable per-crop planting calendar.
Suffolk planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Suffolk's average frost dates. hatched = start seeds indoors, solid green = plant out, teal = a fall sowing, and the terracotta dot marks the estimated first harvest. Ranges are extension-guide planning guidance, not guarantees.
- Start indoors
- Plant out
- Fall sowing
- First harvest
| Crop | Frost tolerance | Start indoors | Plant out | First harvest | Fall planting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Tender | Jan 30 – Feb 13 | Apr 3 – Apr 10 | Jun 2 – Jun 22 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Jan 16 – Jan 30 | Apr 10 – Apr 17 | Jun 9 – Jul 9 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | Feb 27 – Mar 6 | Apr 3 – Apr 10 | May 23 – Jun 12 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Apr 3 – Apr 10 | May 18 – Jun 2 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Apr 3 – Apr 10 | May 23 – Jun 2 | Sep 16 – Sep 26 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | May 26 – Jun 25 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Feb 13 – Feb 27 | Apr 3 – Apr 10 | May 3 – May 18 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Feb 13 – Feb 27 | Feb 27 – Mar 13 | Apr 13 – Apr 28 | Sep 2 – Sep 17 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Feb 13 – Feb 27 | Apr 9 – Apr 24 | Aug 23 – Sep 7 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Feb 13 – Feb 27 | Mar 25 – Apr 4 | Sep 12 – Sep 22 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Mar 6 – Mar 13 | May 5 – May 25 | Aug 13 – Sep 2 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Jan 30 – Feb 13 | Feb 27 – Mar 13 | Apr 23 – May 13 | Aug 18 – Sep 7 |
Data: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (public domain) and USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Planting windows synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides.
Frost & freeze dates
From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USC00448192. The median (p50) is the average date; the 90%-safe column is the date the freeze has passed in about 9 years out of 10 (p10 for spring, p90 for fall) — the conservative date to plant after or harvest before.
| Threshold | Last spring — avg | Last spring — 90%-safe | First fall — avg | First fall — 90%-safe | Season (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 6 | Apr 20 | Nov 3 | Nov 16 | 210 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 27 | Apr 9 | Nov 15 | Dec 1 | 233 |
| 28°F | Mar 15 | Mar 30 | Dec 1 | Dec 22 | 259 |
| 24°F | Feb 28 | Mar 19 | Dec 18 | Jan 12 | 291 |
32°F is the standard "freeze" line that damages tender crops; lighter 36°F frost can nip the most cold-sensitive plants, while hardy crops shrug off light frost down toward 28°F. Use the threshold that matches what you are protecting.
Growing degree days
Growing degree days (GDD) accumulate warmth above a base temperature over the year — a better predictor of crop development than the calendar alone. Warm-season crops need a long, warm GDD total; a short, cool GDD total favors greens and brassicas.
| Model | °F·days | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Base 50°F (warm-season) | 4,525 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 7,392 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 8a
Suffolk sits in USDA plant hardiness zone 8a on the 2023 map — meaning its average annual extreme minimum winter temperature is about 10 to 15 °F. That number tells you which perennials, shrubs, and trees reliably survive an average winter here; it does not set your planting dates, which come from the frost calendar above.
Explore more places in zone 8a, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What USDA hardiness zone is Suffolk?
- Suffolk, Virginia is in USDA plant hardiness zone 8a on the 2023 map (average annual extreme minimum temperature 10 to 15 °F) — from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. See the methodology page for sources.
- When is the last frost in Suffolk?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around March 27, from NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals at the nearest reporting station. Roughly one year in ten the last frost is as late as April 9, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Suffolk?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around November 15. That leaves a growing season of about 233 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Suffolk?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Jan 30 – Feb 13 and transplant them outside about Apr 3 – Apr 10, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around Jun 2 – Jun 22.
- How long is the growing season in Suffolk?
- About 233 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~March 27) and the average first fall frost (~November 15). Cold-hardy crops extend usable time at both ends; frost-tender crops fit inside it.
Sources & method
Frost, freeze, growing-season, and growing-degree-day figures are NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 for station USC00448192 (Suffolk Lake Kilby, 3.1 km away). The hardiness zone is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. Planting windows are computed by counting from the average last and first frost using per-crop offsets synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides — the full method and citations are on the methodology page.