GreenlyFrost dates and when to plant in Sicily
Italy
In Sicily the last spring frost comes between 25 January (Messina) and 23 February (Palermo) — the median of 2016–2025 in 3 cities. The first autumn frost comes around 23 December. That leaves about 303 days without frost. One of the 4 cities had no frost at all. Tomato: plant out into open ground 13 May – 2 September in every city.
Frost dates by city in Sicily
| City | Last spring frost | First autumn frost | Frost-free days | Climate zone | Tomato: window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Messina | 25 January | none in ten years | — | Frost without a regular season | from 25 April |
| Catania | 26 January | none in ten years | — | Frost without a regular season | from 25 March |
| Palermo | 23 February | 23 December | 303 | 270 frost-free days or more | 13 May – 2 September |
| Syracuse | none in ten years | none in ten years | — | No frost in ten years | — |
Median of 2016–2025 for the 25 km grid cell of the city: the last day at or below 0 °C in spring and the first in autumn (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo). In a cold year a frost can come a week or two later — Greenly warns 48 hours ahead.
When to plant in Sicily: windows by crop
The earliest start and the latest end among the cities here, each with its city; every city’s own window is on its page. 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 |
|---|---|
| Tomato | 13 May – 2 September (Palermo) |
| Cucumber | 28 May – 8 October (Palermo) |
| Bell Pepper, Eggplant | 28 May – 2 September (Palermo) |
| Zucchini | 28 May – 6 October (Palermo) |
| Pumpkin | 28 May – 28 August (Palermo) |
| Watermelon | 28 May – 13 September (Palermo) |
| Peas | 2 February – 10 October (Palermo) |
| Garlic, Tulip, Daffodil, Crocus, Hyacinth | Autumn planting: 23 November – end of December (Palermo) |
Weather by month in Sicily
Across the 4 cities the warmest month is July (average days 28.3 … 34.7 °C) and the coldest January (average nights 1.8 … 8.4 °C). No city here averages below 0 °C at night in any month.
| Month | Day, °C | Night, °C | Rain, mm |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8.3 … 15 °C | 1.8 … 8.4 °C | 65 |
| February | 9.8 … 16.3 °C | 2.3 … 8.7 °C | 76 |
| March | 11.5 … 18.2 °C | 3.5 … 9.9 °C | 76 |
| April | 14.9 … 21 °C | 6 … 12 °C | 44 |
| May | 18.8 … 25.3 °C | 9.5 … 15.3 °C | 58 |
| June | 25.1 … 31.5 °C | 15 … 20.5 °C | 27 |
| July | 28.3 … 34.7 °C | 17.6 … 23.3 °C | 10 |
| August | 27.4 … 34 °C | 17.3 … 23.5 °C | 21 |
| September | 23 … 29.7 °C | 14.3 … 20.8 °C | 55 |
| October | 18.7 … 24.8 °C | 10.7 … 17.1 °C | 84 |
| November | 13.5 … 20.1 °C | 6.9 … 13.6 °C | 95 |
| December | 9.9 … 16.3 °C | 3.6 … 10.1 °C | 68 |
Day and night: the lowest … highest monthly average among the cities; rain: the middle city (ERA5 via Open-Meteo).
