When to Plant in Richmond, VA: Planting Calendar & Frost Dates

For ZIP 23219 in Richmond, the nearest NOAA weather station with freeze records is Richmond International Airport (NOAA name: Richmond Intl Airport, VA), 6.7 miles away. Its median last spring frost (32°F, NOAA 1991–2020) is Apr 3 and its median first fall frost is Nov 4, leaving about 215 frost-free days. ZIP 23219 is in USDA hardiness zone 7b. The last frost here comes 8 days earlier than the zone 7 median (Apr 11), and the season is 15 days longer than the zone’s typical 200 days. Across Virginia’s 903 ZIP codes with frost dates, the median last frost is Apr 11, so Richmond’s comes 8 days earlier than that.

Station and dates: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, 32°F at 50% probability, for the station nearest the center of ZIP 23219. Zone: 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PRISM data by ZIP code).

Key planting dates for Richmond

Virginia Cooperative Extension’s zone 7b calendar for Richmond

Virginia Cooperative Extension’s home garden planting guide is organized by hardiness zone, and ZIP 23219 is in zone 7b. Its Table 1 gives “Date ranges for average (50% chance) last spring frost and first fall frost for hardiness zones 6a through 8b.” For zone 7b: last spring frost April 5–15 and first fall frost Oct 25–Nov 5. The NOAA 1991–2020 median at Richmond International Airport is Apr 3 and Nov 4, so the two sources are labeled separately below.

Two garlic windows: VCE’s zone 7b calendar says to plant garlic Oct 1-Oct 30. Our frost-date rule, counted from the NOAA median first fall frost at Richmond International Airport (Nov 4), gives Oct 21 – Nov 25. Both are shown because they come from different methods.

A second tomato planting: VCE’s zone 7b calendar also lists a fall window for tomato transplants, June 20-Aug 1. Stretching the season: “The use of row cover fabric and cold frames may extend the expected planting and harvest window by two to four weeks in the spring and fall.”

Richmond-area resources

ZIP 23219 is in the City of Richmond; these two services are run in neighboring Henrico County. Soil tests: “Soil test kits can be picked up at the Henrico Extension Office (6800 Staples Mill Road) or any Henrico County Library. Kits are free, however, there is a fee for processing the test and kits must be mailed by the resident to the Virginia Tech Soil Testing Lab to be processed.” Henrico County adds: “It is recommended that the soil be tested every two to three years.” Gardening questions: “You can reach the Horticulture Helpline by calling: (804) 501-5160.”

Sources: Virginia Cooperative Extension 426-331, Virginia’s Home Garden Vegetable Planting Guide; Henrico County: Soil Test; VCE Henrico: Horticulture Helpline.

Richmond vegetable and flower planting calendar

Every date range below is counted from Richmond’s median frost dates (Apr 3 and Nov 4) with the same rules as our planner, and rows run in calendar order. In about half of years a frost still comes after the spring date.

How we count planting dates: the weeks before or after frost for each crop come from university extension planting guides: UNH Extension, When to Plant Your Vegetable Garden; Rutgers FS787, Starting Vegetable Seeds Indoors; Virginia Tech 426-331, Home Garden Vegetable Planting Guide; University of Maryland Extension, Vegetable Planting Calendar; and University of Idaho CIS 1209 (marigolds and zinnias). Bulb windows approximate Rutgers’ rule to plant when soil falls below 60°F (FS1220), and garlic follows SDSU, Illinois and Virginia Tech. Temperature notes: UMD (potatoes), UMN (sweet corn), UC ANR (peppers, hardening off), UMN (eggplant), Colorado State (tomatoes) and SDSU (hardening off).

Harvest estimates add days to harvest from these sources to each planting window, and stop at the first fall frost for frost-tender crops: UF/IFAS Extension, Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide (SP103/VH021), Table 1, “Days to Harvest”; University of Maryland Extension, Growing Onions in a Home Garden; University of Maryland Extension, Growing Garlic in a Home Garden; University of Maryland Extension, Growing Basil in a Home Garden.

Frost dates across Richmond’s ZIP codes

Across Richmond’s 9 ZIP codes, the median last spring frost ranges from Apr 3 to Apr 10 and the median first fall frost from Oct 31 to Nov 4, depending on which of 2 NOAA stations is nearest. This page uses ZIP 23219, which is in the group most Richmond ZIP codes share.

Which ZIP codes count as Richmond: the 9 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (2020 ZCTAs) with at least half of their land area inside Richmond city limits, from the U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 ZCTA to Place Relationship File. ZCTAs are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code areas, so this list may not match every USPS ZIP code. Each ZIP code’s dates are the ones our planner shows for it.

How Richmond compares

How this table is built: each ZIP code is matched to its nearest NOAA 1991–2020 freeze-data station (within 60 miles); state and zone rows are medians across those ZIP codes. Zones are the 2023 USDA zones by ZIP code (PRISM).

More for Richmond gardeners

• Your own ZIP: open the planner for ZIP 23219 and change the ZIP to yours for its own station and dates.
• Virginia: When to plant in Virginia, with frost dates across the state.
• USDA zone 7b: our zone 7 planting guide.
• Frost tonight? How to protect plants from frost.

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