Your garden's climate
Frost dates, growing season, rain and sunshine for anywhere in the UK, worked out from thirty years of Met Office records.
Map
Penzance, Cornwall
Averages for 1994 to 2023, for the 1km square around this point.
Frost
Last spring frost
24 February
Safer from 6 April
First autumn frost
27 December
Can come as early as 27 November
Frost-free season
306 days
Between the typical last and first frosts
Hardiness zone
USDA 9b
RHS H3 · coldest night of a typical winter around −2.3°C
Frost likely Some risk Safe for tender plants in nine years out of ten
The last spring frost now comes 15 days earlier than it did in 1964 to 1993, when it was around 11 March.
Through the year
Ground frost is measured on grass, and comes weeks either side of air frost. It is what catches seedlings on the soil surface.
Growing
Growing season
All year
From the first spell above 5°C in spring to the first below it in autumn
Hot days
3 a year
Above 25°C, when lettuce and peas tend to bolt
Longest dry spell
17 days
In a typical April to September, with under 1mm of rain a day
Warmth for tender crops
- Squash and courgettesUsually ripens outdoors
- Outdoor tomatoesUsually ripens outdoors
- SweetcornUsually ripens outdoors
- Outdoor chillies and peppersPossible in a good year, or somewhere sheltered
From summer warmth only. Shelter, a south-facing wall or a cold frame all help.
Contains Met Office data © Crown copyright, from HadUK-Grid, used under the Open Government Licence v3. Place search by postcodes.io. These are averages, not a forecast, and a frost pocket or a sheltered wall can shift your garden by weeks either way.