When to plant in Springbrook, AB

Planting dates worked out from Springbrook's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.

Last spring frost

Early · riskyMay 109 years in 10 still get a later frost
TypicalMay 23about half of years get a later frost
Safe to plant outJun 61 year in 10 gets a later frost

Hardy crops like peas and spinach are timed from the typical date. Wait for the safe date before planting out tomatoes, peppers and squash.

First fall frost

EarlySep 11 year in 10 has frost by then
TypicalSep 12about half of years have had frost
LateSep 219 years in 10 have had frost by then

A typical year has 110 frost-free days. Plan for tender crops to be ripe by the early date.

Station used: Red Deer A · 0.9 km away · station 905 m, town 896 m. How we match towns to stations

This season

Plan your garden.

Build my Springbrook plan

Planting dates for common crops

Crop	Start indoors	Plant out or sow	Harvest from
Tomato	Apr 11 – Apr 25	Jun 6 – Jun 20	Jul 31
Sweet pepper	Mar 28 – Apr 11	Jun 6 – Jun 20	Aug 5
Lettuce (leaf)	Mar 24 – Mar 31	Apr 28 – May 12	Jun 7
Peas	—	Apr 28 – May 26	Jun 22
Bush beans	—	May 30 – Jun 20	Jul 19
Carrot	—	May 8 – Jun 19	Jul 7
Beet	—	May 8 – Jun 19	Jun 27
Potato	—	May 8 – May 29	Jul 17
Kale	Mar 24 – Apr 7	May 5 – May 19	Jun 17
Broccoli	Mar 17 – Mar 31	Apr 28 – May 19	Jun 27
Cucumber	May 9 – May 16	Jun 6 – Jun 20	Jul 26
Summer squash and zucchini	May 9 – May 16	Jun 6 – Jun 20	Jul 21
Winter squash	May 9 – May 16	Jun 6 – Jun 20	Aug 25
Sweet corn	—	May 30 – Jun 20	Jul 29
Onion (from sets)	—	Apr 28 – May 19	Jul 27
Garlic	—	Aug 29 – Sep 26 (fall)	following summer
Spinach	—	Apr 28 – May 26	Jun 5
Basil	Apr 25 – May 9	Jun 6 – Jun 20	Aug 2

Plan all 65 crops for Springbrook

Springbrook's weather over time

How the growing season has shifted here, year by year, from the station's own records.

Each year's last spring frostLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Last spring frost
1938	Jun 7
1939	Jun 3
1940	May 4
1941	May 23
1942	Jun 22
1943	Jun 3
1944	May 23
1945	Jun 13
1946	May 23
1947	May 29
1948	May 11
1949	Jun 19
1950	Jun 9
1951	Jun 4
1952	May 27
1953	May 24
1954	Jun 18
1955	May 24
1956	May 30
1957	May 22
1958	May 13
1959	May 30
1960	May 23
1961	May 17
1962	May 11
1963	May 19
1964	May 23
1965	May 21
1966	May 24
1967	May 26
1968	Jun 15
1969	Jun 14
1970	May 18
1971	May 18
1972	May 19
1973	May 12
1974	May 30
1975	May 28
1976	Jun 6
1977	Jun 3
1978	May 13
1979	Jun 6
1980	May 11
1981	May 5
1982	Jun 8
1983	May 16
1984	May 25
1985	Jun 11
1986	May 17
1987	Jun 1
1988	May 21
1989	May 29
1990	May 22
1991	May 8
1992	May 24
1994	May 14
1995	May 26
1996	May 12
1997	May 22
1998	May 12
1999	Jun 8
2000	Jun 1
2001	May 21
2002	Jun 7
2003	May 20
2004	May 24
2005	May 27
2006	May 14
2007	May 25
2008	May 10
2009	Jun 9
2010	Jun 1
2011	May 29
2012	May 26
2013	May 4

Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Frost-free days
1938	76
1939	64
1940	142
1941	107
1942	87
1943	90
1944	118
1945	67
1946	107
1947	110
1948	115
1949	55
1950	70
1951	102
1952	96
1953	113
1954	79
1955	95
1956	95
1957	118
1958	112
1959	99
1960	105
1961	116
1962	114
1963	140
1964	92
1965	105
1966	128
1967	108
1968	100
1969	92
1970	113
1971	111
1972	109
1973	124
1974	75
1975	86
1976	93
1977	111
1978	129
1980	105
1981	142
1982	94
1983	112
1984	95
1985	86
1986	111
1987	85
1988	110
1989	103
1990	127
1991	117
1992	90
1994	129
1995	112
1996	116
1997	118
1998	136
1999	107
2000	101
2001	107
2002	102
2003	118
2004	104
2005	108
2006	125
2007	110
2008	113
2009	90
2010	90
2011	111
2012	107
2013	137

Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Growing-season temperature
1938	11.8 °C
1939	11.2 °C
1940	11.8 °C
1941	12.3 °C
1942	11.2 °C
1943	11.1 °C
1944	11.9 °C
1945	9.8 °C
1946	11.3 °C
1947	11.1 °C
1948	10.4 °C
1949	12.0 °C
1950	10.3 °C
1951	9.9 °C
1952	11.5 °C
1953	10.5 °C
1954	9.3 °C
1955	10.9 °C
1956	11.5 °C
1957	11.8 °C
1958	12.5 °C
1959	10.8 °C
1960	12.0 °C
1961	12.6 °C
1962	11.8 °C
1963	12.4 °C
1964	11.2 °C
1965	10.8 °C
1966	11.0 °C
1967	11.2 °C
1968	10.5 °C
1969	11.8 °C
1970	11.8 °C
1971	11.8 °C
1972	10.6 °C
1973	11.2 °C
1974	10.3 °C
1975	10.2 °C
1976	12.0 °C
1977	11.2 °C
1978	11.6 °C
1979	11.3 °C
1980	11.7 °C
1981	11.8 °C
1982	10.5 °C
1983	11.7 °C
1984	11.1 °C
1985	10.8 °C
1986	10.8 °C
1987	11.9 °C
1988	12.1 °C
1989	11.5 °C
1990	11.9 °C
1991	11.9 °C
1992	10.9 °C
1994	12.4 °C
1995	10.8 °C
1996	10.7 °C
1997	11.2 °C
1998	13.3 °C
1999	11.0 °C
2000	10.8 °C
2001	12.0 °C
2002	10.4 °C
2003	11.7 °C
2004	10.9 °C
2005	10.9 °C
2006	12.8 °C
2007	11.6 °C
2008	11.1 °C
2009	11.3 °C
2010	10.7 °C
2011	11.4 °C
2012	12.6 °C
2013	12.2 °C

What this means for you: Since 1938, Springbrook's last spring frost has come about 1 day earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 2 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.

Source: daily records from Red Deer A (NOAA GHCN-Daily, from Environment and Climate Change Canada). Years with too many missing days are left out.

Nearby towns

Penhold Red Deer Innisfail Sylvan Lake Blackfalds Bowden