GreenlyGardening in Bulgaria: climate, frost dates and crops by region
We worked out the season of 6 cities of Bulgaria from ten years of weather: the frost-free season lasts from 218 days in Sofia to 269 days in Burgas. The last spring frost comes first in Burgas (around 10 March) and last in Sofia (around 12 April).
Climate zones of Bulgaria
By the days between the last spring frost and the first autumn frost.
How the regions of Bulgaria differ
The gap between the warmest month’s days and the coldest month’s nights is widest in Plovdiv (34.5 °C) and smallest in Varna (28 °C): the smaller it is, the milder both winter and summer. The hottest summer days are in Plovdiv (32.7 °C on average in the warmest month), the coolest in Varna (28.2 °C). In 4 of the 6 cities at least one month averages below 0 °C at night; the longest such winter is in Sofia (December–February).
Which crops suit which part of Bulgaria
Season long enough: the days from planting to the first autumn frost cover the days to the first harvest on the plant card. Each window starts on the Greenly calendar date and ends on the last day that still leaves the crop’s days to harvest (from its card) before the average first autumn frost, plus six weeks of picking for crops harvested over weeks (tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, cucumbers, courgettes, pumpkins, watermelons, beans) — our rule; earlier in the window is safer.
| Crop | Planting out or sowing | Season long enough | Tight or too short |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | 25 April (Plovdiv) – 14 August (Varna) | all 6 | — |
| Cucumber | 5 May (Plovdiv) – 19 September (Varna) | all 6 | — |
| Bell Pepper, Eggplant | 5 May (Plovdiv) – 14 August (Varna) | all 6 | — |
| Zucchini | 5 May (Plovdiv) – 17 September (Varna) | all 6 | — |
| Pumpkin | 5 May (Plovdiv) – 9 August (Varna) | all 6 | — |
| Watermelon | 5 May (Plovdiv) – 25 August (Varna) | all 6 | — |
| Peas | 17 February (Burgas) – 21 September (Varna) | all 6 | — |
| Garlic, Tulip, Daffodil, Crocus, Hyacinth | Autumn planting: 17 October (Sofia) – end of December (Ruse) | — | — |
Cities of Bulgaria: weather in numbers
| City | Frost-free days | Warmest month, day | Coldest month, night | Rain a year | Driest month | Places to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ruse | 241 | August, 30.6 °C | January, -2.2 °C | 646 mm | August | — |
| Varna | 260 | August, 28.2 °C | January, 0.2 °C | 613 mm | August | — |
| Sofia | 218 | August, 28.8 °C | January, -4.3 °C | 614 mm | September | 43 |
| Burgas | 269 | July, 29.1 °C | January, 0.9 °C | 684 mm | August | — |
| Stara Zagora | 224 | August, 29.3 °C | January, -2.6 °C | 691 mm | August | — |
| Plovdiv | 246 | August, 32.7 °C | January, -1.8 °C | 589 mm | August | — |
ERA5 2016–2025 via Open-Meteo, 25 km grid cell of each city; dates by the Greenly calendar and the plant cards.
