One of the first steps you take when you are making a decision about your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

The earliest that you can plant snow-in summer in Virginia should be determined by reviewing the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Snow-in Summer

Frost tolerance for snow-in summer:	Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant:	Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

Snow-in Summer do well in moderate cold which tells us that you can plant them earlier than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant snow-in summer in Virginia is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant snow-in summer and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your snow-in summer may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your snow-in summer indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Virginia the average date of last frost happens on May 15. It might get as low as -35°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Virginia is an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Virginia there is a last frost after May 15 be ready to cover your snow-in summer if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Virginia

Here is the info for USDA Zone 3b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	May 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	September 15
Lowest Expected Low	-35°F
Highest Expected Low	-30°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -35°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -30°F.

Plants to Grow in Virginia

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Virginia.