USDA zone 8b in Virginia
USDA plant hardiness zone 8b covers 4 locations across Virginia (average annual extreme minimum 15 to 20 °F): Carrollton, VA, Chesapeake, VA, Newport News, VA, Virginia Beach, VA. Average last spring frost across this group ranges March 16 (Newport News) to March 29 (Virginia Beach), and growing seasons run 230–255 days (Virginia Beach to Newport News) — even within one state, because hardiness sets winter survival, not planting dates. The table below gives every Virginia location's own frost dates; the printable planting calendar uses Chesapeake, this group's median-season location.
- USDA zone
- 8b15 to 20 °F
- Last frost range
- Mar 16–Mar 29avg, 32°F
- First frost range
- Nov 12–Nov 26avg, 32°F
- Growing season range
- 230–255days
Locations in this group
Every location below shares this zone and a nearby weather station, but keeps its own frost dates — find your town for its own numbers, or use the ZIP planner on the home page for an instant personalized answer.
| Location | Also covers | Nearest station | Last frost | First frost | Season (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrollton | — | Suffolk Lake Kilby | Mar 27 | Nov 15 | 233 |
| Chesapeake * | Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth | Norfolk Intl Ap | Mar 17 | Nov 23 | 252 |
| Newport News | Norfolk, Hampton, Portsmouth, Poquoson, Carrollton, Bethel Manor | Norfolk Nas | Mar 16 | Nov 26 | 255 |
| Virginia Beach | — | Oceana Nas | Mar 29 | Nov 12 | 230 |
* Chesapeake is this group's median-season location — the calendar below is computed from its data.
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.
Planting calendar (Chesapeake, representative)
Computed from Chesapeake's average frost dates — the median-season location in this Virginiazone 8b group. 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 — your own location's dates may run a week or two earlier or later (see the table above).
- Start indoors
- Plant out
- Fall sowing
- First harvest
| Crop | Frost tolerance | Start indoors | Plant out | First harvest | Fall planting | Season fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Tender | Jan 20 – Feb 3 | Mar 24 – Mar 31 | May 23 – Jun 12 | — | matures comfortably |
| Pepper | Very tender | Jan 6 – Jan 20 | Mar 31 – Apr 7 | May 30 – Jun 29 | — | matures comfortably |
| Cucumber | Tender | Feb 17 – Feb 24 | Mar 24 – Mar 31 | May 13 – Jun 2 | — | matures comfortably |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Mar 24 – Mar 31 | May 8 – May 23 | — | matures comfortably |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Mar 24 – Mar 31 | May 13 – May 23 | Sep 24 – Oct 4 | matures comfortably |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Mar 17 – Mar 31 | May 16 – Jun 15 | — | matures comfortably |
| Basil | Very tender | Feb 3 – Feb 17 | Mar 24 – Mar 31 | Apr 23 – May 8 | — | matures comfortably |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Feb 3 – Feb 17 | Feb 17 – Mar 3 | Apr 3 – Apr 18 | Sep 10 – Sep 25 | matures comfortably |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Feb 3 – Feb 17 | Mar 30 – Apr 14 | Aug 31 – Sep 15 | matures comfortably |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Feb 3 – Feb 17 | Mar 15 – Mar 25 | Sep 20 – Sep 30 | matures comfortably |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Feb 24 – Mar 3 | Apr 25 – May 15 | Aug 21 – Sep 10 | matures comfortably |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Jan 20 – Feb 3 | Feb 17 – Mar 3 | Apr 13 – May 3 | Aug 26 – Sep 15 | matures comfortably |
Which crops fit this growing season
Using Chesapeake's own 252-day growing season (32°F, NOAA 1991–2020 median) against each crop's real days-to-maturity range: 12 of 12 crops mature here with comfortable margin. A different location in the table above with a longer or shorter season will get a different mix — the ZIP planner on the home page gives your own.
Frost & freeze dates (Chesapeake)
From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USW00013737. 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 — 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 | Mar 30 | Apr 12 | Nov 11 | Nov 26 | 227 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 17 | Mar 31 | Nov 23 | Dec 10 | 252 |
| 28°F | Mar 4 | Mar 20 | Dec 8 | Jan 2 | 281 |
| 24°F | Feb 17 | Mar 7 | Dec 29 | Jan 21 | 311 |
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. This group's median GDD (base 50°F) across all 4 locations is 4,843; Chesapeake's own reading is shown below.
| Model | °F·days | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Base 50°F (warm-season) | 5,132 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 8,122 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 8b in Virginia
Zone 8b means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of about 15 to 20 °F on the USDA's 2023 map — the number that 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. Virginia spans 6 hardiness zones in this dataset — see all Virginia locations for the full range, including zones6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a.
Explore zone 8b in other states at zone 8b, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What does USDA hardiness zone 8b mean in Virginia?
- Zone 8b means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of 15 to 20 °F — the standard USDA measure of which perennials survive winter. 4 locations in Virginia fall in this zone. It does not set planting dates; see the frost calendar below for that.
- Where in Virginia's zone 8b is the growing season longest?
- Newport News runs the longest season on this page at about 255 days; Virginia Beach is shortest at about 230 days — they share the same hardiness zone, but they sit at different weather stations, so their frost calendars differ.
- When should I plant tomatoes in Virginia's zone 8b?
- Using Chesapeake's frost dates (this page's median-season location): start seeds indoors about Jan 20 – Feb 3, then transplant outside about Mar 24 – Mar 31. Your own location in the table above may differ by a week or two — use the ZIP planner on the home page for your exact station's dates.
- Does every location in Virginia's zone 8b have the same frost dates?
- No — they do not all share a weather station, so frost dates vary by a week or more across the 4 locations listed (see the table above for each location's own dates).
Sources & method
Frost, freeze, growing-season, and growing-degree-day figures are NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, one reading per location's own nearest station (see the table above). The hardiness zone is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to each 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.