USDA Hardiness Zone 8a
Frost Dates for 23701 — Portsmouth, Virginia
Averages from Norfolk S, Va US, the nearest reporting station, 8.8 miles away.
Plant tender crops after March 23, and expect the first autumn freeze around November 16. That leaves about 239 frost-free days.
- Last spring frost
- March 23
- First fall frost
- November 16
- Growing season
- 239 days
- Hardiness zone
- 8a
50% probability
50% probability
frost-free
10 to 15°F annual low
Planting calendar for 23701
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 12 – January 26 | Start peppers and aubergines indoors They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| January 26 – February 9 | Start tomatoes indoors Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| February 23 – March 9 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| March 23 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbers The average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 24 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicas They need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by November 2 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover them A first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 16 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 March 23 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in Portsmouth, Virginia are past their last freeze. Harvest before November 16, which leaves roughly 239 frost-free days.
ZIP 23701 sits in USDA hardiness zone 8a, meaning the average coldest night of the year falls between 10 to 15°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.