Virginia Beach, VA Planting Dates

The four dates that matter

Date	When	What it means
Last spring frost (50%)	Mar 18	Half of all years see a freeze after this date. It is an average, not a guarantee.
Last spring frost (10%)	Apr 3	Only one year in ten freezes after this. Use it for anything you cannot afford to replant.
First fall frost (50%)	Nov 22	Half of all years freeze before this date. Fall crops are counted back from here.
First fall frost (10%)	Nov 8	An early-freeze year. If a crop must finish, aim to harvest before this.

USDA zone 8b 249 frost-free days Modelled estimate

Spring & summer planting in Virginia Beach

Dates are calculated from this location's own last-frost date, not from a generic zone chart. “Best moon days” are the days inside each window that fall in the crop's traditional phase — the same rule the app uses.

Crop	Start seed indoors	Plant outdoors	Best moon days	Days to harvest
Strawberry (crowns) transplant	—	Jan 17 – Feb 25	Feb 1 Full Moon	perennial — first real harvest next season
Garlic cloves/sets Better planted in fall — see below	—	Jan 30 – Mar 2	Feb 2–7 Waning Gibbous	240–300
Asparagus (crowns) transplant	—	Feb 4 – Mar 11	Feb 24 First Quarter	perennial — first real harvest 2–3 years
Chives either	Jan 21	Feb 4 – Mar 11	Feb 18–23 Waxing Crescent	75–90
Onion (from sets/transplants) cloves/sets	—	Feb 4 – Mar 11	Feb 4–8, Mar 4 Waning Gibbous	90–120
Peas (English/snap) direct sow	—	Feb 4 – Mar 11	Feb 24 First Quarter	55–75
Spinach direct sow	—	Feb 4 – Mar 11	Feb 18–23 Waxing Crescent	35–50
Cabbage transplant	Jan 14	Feb 11 – Mar 11	Feb 18–23 Waxing Crescent	65–90
Collards either	Feb 4	Feb 11 – Apr 1	Feb 18–23 Waxing Crescent	55–85
Kale either	Feb 4	Feb 11 – Mar 18	Feb 18–23 Waxing Crescent	50–65
Lettuce (leaf) either	Feb 11	Feb 11 – Apr 8	Feb 18–23 Waxing Crescent	40–55
Potato cloves/sets	—	Feb 11 – Mar 18	Mar 3 Full Moon	70–120
Radish direct sow	—	Feb 11 – Apr 8	Mar 4–9 Waning Gibbous	22–35
Turnip direct sow	—	Feb 11 – Mar 25	Mar 4–9 Waning Gibbous	40–60
Broccoli transplant	Jan 14	Feb 16 – Mar 18	Feb 18–23 Waxing Crescent	55–80
Brussels Sprouts transplant	Jan 14	Feb 16 – Mar 18	Feb 18–23 Waxing Crescent	90–110
Leek transplant	Jan 7	Feb 16 – Mar 18	Mar 4–9 Waning Gibbous	100–120
Lettuce (head) transplant	Jan 28	Feb 16 – Mar 18	Feb 18–23 Waxing Crescent	60–85
Parsley either	Jan 14	Feb 16 – Mar 25	Feb 18–23 Waxing Crescent	70–90
Parsnip direct sow	—	Feb 16 – Mar 25	Mar 3 Full Moon	100–150
Shallot cloves/sets Better planted in fall — see below	—	Feb 16 – Mar 18	Mar 4–9 Waning Gibbous	90–120
Beet direct sow	—	Feb 18 – Apr 8	Mar 3, Apr 1 Full Moon	50–65
Kohlrabi either	Feb 4	Feb 18 – Mar 25	Feb 18–23 Waxing Crescent	45–60
Carrot direct sow	—	Feb 25 – Apr 8	Mar 3, Apr 1 Full Moon	65–85
Cauliflower transplant	Jan 14	Feb 25 – Mar 18	— Waxing Crescent	55–80
Cilantro direct sow	—	Feb 25 – Apr 8	Mar 19–24 Waxing Crescent	45–70
Swiss Chard direct sow	—	Feb 25 – Apr 17	Mar 19–24 Waxing Crescent	50–60
Dill direct sow	—	Mar 4 – Apr 17	Mar 19–24 Waxing Crescent	40–60
Cucumber either	Feb 25	Mar 18 – Apr 17	Mar 25 First Quarter	50–70
Green Beans (bush) direct sow	—	Mar 18 – May 2	Mar 25, Apr 23 First Quarter	50–65
Oregano transplant	Jan 21	Mar 18 – Apr 8	Mar 25 First Quarter	cut as needed
Sage transplant	Jan 21	Mar 18 – Apr 8	Mar 25 First Quarter	cut as needed
Sweet Corn direct sow	—	Mar 18 – May 2	Mar 25, Apr 23 First Quarter	60–100
Thyme transplant	Jan 21	Mar 18 – Apr 8	Mar 25 First Quarter	cut as needed
Zucchini / Summer Squash either	Feb 25	Mar 18 – Apr 17	Mar 25 First Quarter	45–60
Basil either	Feb 4	Mar 25 – Apr 17	— Waxing Crescent	30–60
Dry Beans direct sow	—	Mar 25 – Apr 22	Mar 25 First Quarter	85–100
Pole Beans direct sow	—	Mar 25 – Apr 27	Mar 25, Apr 23 First Quarter	60–75
Pumpkin direct sow	Feb 25	Mar 25 – Apr 22	Mar 25 First Quarter	90–120
Rosemary transplant	Mar 18	Mar 25 – Apr 17	Mar 25 First Quarter	cut as needed
Tomatillo transplant	Feb 4	Mar 25 – Apr 17	Mar 25 First Quarter	60–75
Tomato transplant	Feb 4	Mar 25 – Apr 17	Mar 25 First Quarter	60–85
Winter Squash direct sow	Feb 25	Mar 25 – Apr 22	Mar 25 First Quarter	85–110
Cantaloupe / Muskmelon either	Feb 25	Apr 1 – Apr 22	— First Quarter	75–90
Eggplant transplant	Jan 21	Apr 1 – Apr 22	— First Quarter	60–90
Okra direct sow	Feb 18	Apr 1 – Apr 27	Apr 23 First Quarter	50–70
Pepper transplant	Jan 21	Apr 1 – Apr 22	— First Quarter	60–90
Sweet Potato slips	—	Apr 1 – Apr 27	Apr 2–7 Waning Gibbous	90–150
Watermelon either	Feb 25	Apr 1 – Apr 22	— First Quarter	70–90

Fall planting in Virginia Beach

Fall dates count backward from the first frost, and they add time back for the “fall factor” — days are shortening and cooling, so a crop grows slower than the seed packet promises. Sowing late is the single most common way a fall garden fails.

Crop	Sow or set out	Best moon days	Days to harvest	Hardiness
Tomato	Jul 7 – Aug 12	Jul 21	60–85	very tender
Brussels Sprouts	Jul 10 – Jul 27	Jul 15–20	90–110	hardy
Potato	Jul 15 – Aug 16	Jul 29	70–120	semi-hardy
Sweet Corn	Jul 20 – Aug 12	Jul 21	60–100	tender
Pole Beans	Jul 30 – Aug 12	—	60–75	tender
Parsley	Aug 2 – Aug 16	Aug 13–16	70–90	semi-hardy
Okra	Aug 4 – Sep 3	Aug 19	50–70	very tender
Cabbage	Aug 9 – Aug 21	Aug 13–18	65–90	hardy
Carrot	Aug 9 – Aug 21	—	65–85	semi-hardy
Collards	Aug 9 – Aug 31	Aug 13–18	55–85	hardy
Cucumber	Aug 9 – Aug 22	Aug 19	50–70	tender
Broccoli	Aug 14 – Aug 31	Aug 14–18	55–80	hardy
Cauliflower	Aug 14 – Aug 31	Aug 14–18	55–80	semi-hardy
Green Beans (bush)	Aug 14 – Aug 22	Aug 19	50–65	tender
Lettuce (head)	Aug 14 – Aug 26	Aug 14–18	60–85	semi-hardy
Peas (English/snap)	Aug 14 – Aug 31	Aug 19	55–75	hardy
Beet	Aug 19 – Sep 5	Aug 28	50–65	semi-hardy
Kale	Aug 19 – Sep 5	—	50–65	hardy
Swiss Chard	Aug 19 – Sep 5	—	50–60	semi-hardy
Zucchini / Summer Squash	Aug 19 – Aug 27	Aug 19	45–60	tender
Basil	Aug 24 – Sep 11	Sep 11	30–60	very tender
Kohlrabi	Aug 24 – Sep 10	—	45–60	hardy
Cilantro	Aug 29 – Sep 10	—	45–70	semi-hardy
Lettuce (leaf)	Aug 29 – Sep 15	Sep 11–15	40–55	semi-hardy
Turnip	Aug 29 – Sep 15	Aug 29–Sep 3	40–60	hardy
Spinach	Sep 3 – Sep 20	Sep 11–16	35–50	hardy
Dill	Sep 8 – Sep 15	Sep 11–15	40–60	semi-hardy
Radish	Sep 8 – Oct 3	Sep 27–Oct 2	22–35	hardy
Garlic	Oct 23 – Dec 13	Oct 27–31, Nov 25	240–300	hardy
Shallot	Nov 6 – Dec 7	Nov 25–30	90–120	hardy

Bottom line: the 50% frost date is a coin flip, not a green light. If you would be sick about losing a flat of tomatoes, plant to the Apr 3 date instead and keep a row cover handy either way.

Where these numbers come from

There is no long-record weather station inside Virginia Beach itself, so these frost dates are modelled, not observed. They come from a half-degree climate grid built by fitting the freeze dates of 6,808 NOAA stations (1991–2020 Normals) against terrain and the USDA 2023 hardiness raster, then reading the cell your city sits in. Checked against the stations themselves, that model lands within about a week on average — and its zone matches the station's exactly 67% of the time and within one half-zone 97% of the time. A cell covers roughly 35 by 28 miles, so this is a neighborhood answer, not a backyard one. If there is a station-backed location near you, prefer it.

How precise is any of this?

Extension recommendations for the same crop routinely disagree by two to four weeks, and occasionally more, so these offsets should be presented as windows and starting points rather than deadlines. Three things drive the spread. (1) Regional risk tolerance: for warm-season crops, Colorado State and Utah State put tomatoes, peppers and melons out about 14 days after the last frost, while University of Missouri's calendar works out to roughly 25-35 days after the last frost and University of Maryland's window runs from the frost date itself out to 45 days past it. That is a real 6-week spread for the single most popular garden crop, and it exists because a short-season mountain state is optimizing against a short season while a humid continental state is optimizing against cold, wet spring soil. (2) Soil temperature versus calendar date: most Extension services now say the honest trigger is soil temperature at 4 inches, not the frost date, and the frost-relative number is a convenience translation. A cold, wet spring can push the real date two or three weeks past the calendar recommendation. (3) Days-to-maturity is variety-specific and is measured differently for direct-seeded versus transplanted crops - seed catalogs count from transplant date for tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and cole crops, but from sowing for roots and greens - so a 'days to maturity' range of 60-85 for tomato is genuinely 60-85 depending on which packet you bought. Additionally, the average last frost is a 50% probability, meaning half of all years have a frost after that date; Extension services commonly advise waiting 1-2 weeks past it for anything frost-tender, or being prepared to cover. Treat every number here as plus or minus about 10-14 days.

On the station itself: a weather station is one point. Cities hold their heat, valleys pool cold air, and a garden on a north slope can run two weeks behind one a mile away. Treat this page as your starting point and let your own garden correct it — that is exactly what the journal in the app is for.

Nearby locations

Norfolk, VA zone 8b Chesapeake, VA zone 8a Portsmouth, VA zone 8a Portsmouth Heights, VA zone 8a East Hampton, VA zone 8b Hampton, VA zone 8b

Want this on your phone, in your garden? Moon Phase Garden keeps your frost dates, your planting windows and tonight's moon phase in one place, works offline, and lets you override these dates with what your own garden actually does. Free and ad-free.

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