USDA Hardiness Zone 7a
Frost Dates for 17579 — Strasburg, Pennsylvania
Averages from Lancaster 2ne Fltr Plt, PA US, the nearest reporting station, 7.7 miles away.
Plant tender crops after April 19, and expect the first autumn freeze around October 24. That leaves about 186 frost-free days.
- Last spring frost
- April 19
- First fall frost
- October 24
- Growing season
- 186 days
- Hardiness zone
- 7a
50% probability
50% probability
frost-free
0 to 5°F annual low
Planting calendar for 17579
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 8 – February 22 | Start peppers and aubergines indoors They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 22 – March 8 | Start tomatoes indoors Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 22 – April 5 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 19 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbers The average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 1 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicas They need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 10 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover them A first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 24 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbs Garlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
What these dates mean
Wait until after April 19 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in Strasburg, Pennsylvania are past their last freeze. Harvest before October 24, which leaves roughly 186 frost-free days.
ZIP 17579 sits in USDA hardiness zone 7a, meaning the average coldest night of the year falls between 0 to 5°F. Zone decides what survives the winter; frost dates decide when to plant each spring. They are different questions, and a plant can pass one and fail the other.
These are thirty-year NOAA averages for 1991–2020, not a forecast. Any individual year can frost two to three weeks either side of these dates, so check the actual forecast before planting out.