When to plant in Bowen Island, BC
Planting dates worked out from Bowen Island's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Mar 9
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Feb 4
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Dec 14
1 year in 10 by Nov 20
Frost-free days
309
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Point Atkinson · 8.0 km away · station 14 m, town 30 m. How we match towns to stations
This season
Plan your garden.
Planting dates for common crops
| Crop | Start indoors | Plant out or sow | Harvest from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Mar 4 – Mar 18 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 23 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 18 – Mar 4 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 28 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Dec 13 – Dec 20 | Jan 17 – Jan 31 | Feb 26 |
| Peas | — | Jan 17 – Feb 14 | Mar 13 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 21 – May 12 | Jun 10 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 18 – Apr 29 | May 17 |
| Beet | — | Mar 18 – Apr 29 | May 7 |
| Potato | — | Mar 18 – Apr 8 | May 27 |
| Kale | Dec 13 – Dec 27 | Jan 24 – Feb 7 | Mar 8 |
| Broccoli | Dec 6 – Dec 20 | Jan 17 – Feb 7 | Mar 18 |
| Cucumber | Apr 1 – Apr 8 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 18 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 1 – Apr 8 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 13 |
| Winter squash | Apr 1 – Apr 8 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jul 18 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 21 – May 12 | Jun 20 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Jan 17 – Feb 7 | Apr 17 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 18 – Nov 15 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Jan 17 – Feb 14 | Feb 24 |
| Basil | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 25 |
Bowen Island'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 |
|---|---|
| 2002 | Mar 8 |
| 2005 | Jan 15 |
| 2008 | Feb 4 |
| 2009 | Mar 11 |
| 2011 | Feb 27 |
| 2012 | Feb 27 |
| 2013 | Jan 22 |
| 2014 | Feb 9 |
| 2015 | Mar 1 |
| 2016 | Jan 3 |
| 2017 | Feb 9 |
| 2019 | Feb 26 |
| 2020 | Mar 14 |
| 2021 | Feb 14 |
| 2022 | Feb 25 |
| 2023 | Feb 25 |
| 2024 | Jan 18 |
| 2025 | Feb 13 |
| 2026 | Feb 20 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 343 |
| 2001 | 363 |
| 2002 | 297 |
| 2003 | 363 |
| 2008 | 311 |
| 2009 | 270 |
| 2010 | 322 |
| 2011 | 265 |
| 2012 | 306 |
| 2013 | 315 |
| 2016 | 337 |
| 2017 | 267 |
| 2019 | 307 |
| 2020 | 284 |
| 2021 | 308 |
| 2022 | 255 |
| 2023 | 308 |
| 2024 | 346 |
| 2025 | 320 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 16.6 °C |
| 2001 | 16.3 °C |
| 2002 | 16.6 °C |
| 2003 | 17.3 °C |
| 2005 | 17.4 °C |
| 2008 | 14.1 °C |
| 2009 | 15.5 °C |
| 2010 | 14.7 °C |
| 2011 | 14.1 °C |
| 2012 | 14.6 °C |
| 2013 | 15.6 °C |
| 2014 | 15.9 °C |
| 2016 | 15.9 °C |
| 2017 | 15.4 °C |
| 2019 | 15.7 °C |
| 2020 | 15.4 °C |
| 2021 | 15.8 °C |
| 2022 | 15.5 °C |
| 2023 | 16.1 °C |
| 2024 | 15.6 °C |
| 2025 | 16.3 °C |
| 2026 | 16.1 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Point Atkinson (NOAA GHCN-Daily, from Environment and Climate Change Canada). Years with too many missing days are left out.