Spring Frost Ending and Fall Frost Onset: Impact on Vegetable Growth in the Elbe River Lowland Region

An early ending of spring frost, together with the late onset of fall frosts, in e.g. 1961 (-21 days and ?16 days) and 2000 (-17 days and ?12 days), provides suitable conditions for sowing/planting of field vegetables, as well as their ripening and harvesting. The most frosts occurring during the vegetable growing season are the spring frosts in the last third of April. According to the frost series averaged over the Elbe River lowland region, the earliest and latest dates of the spring frost range have been 15 March and 27 May, respectively. The earliest and latest dates of the fall frost range have been 17 September and 25 November, respectively. The latest endings of the spring frost were recorded in 1973 (?14 days), 1976 (?13 days), 1977 (?20 days), 1978 (?12 days), 1979 (?15 days), 1980 (?10 days) and 1991 (?14 days). Conversely, the earliest beginnings of the first frost were in 1970 and 1971 (-24 days).