When to plant in Cawston, BC
Planting dates worked out from Cawston's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 8
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 19
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 7
1 year in 10 by Sep 25
Frost-free days
168
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Oliver · 14.3 km away · station 315 m, town 401 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 13 – Mar 27 | May 8 – May 22 | Jul 2 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 27 – Mar 13 | May 8 – May 22 | Jul 7 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 15 – Feb 22 | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | May 1 |
| Peas | — | Mar 15 – Apr 12 | May 9 |
| Bush beans | — | May 1 – May 22 | Jun 20 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 29 – May 10 | May 28 |
| Beet | — | Mar 27 – May 8 | May 16 |
| Potato | — | Mar 29 – Apr 19 | Jun 7 |
| Kale | Feb 8 – Feb 22 | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | May 4 |
| Broccoli | Feb 8 – Feb 22 | Mar 22 – Apr 12 | May 21 |
| Cucumber | Apr 10 – Apr 17 | May 8 – May 22 | Jun 27 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 10 – Apr 17 | May 8 – May 22 | Jun 22 |
| Winter squash | Apr 10 – Apr 17 | May 8 – May 22 | Jul 27 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 1 – May 22 | Jun 30 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 22 – Apr 12 | Jun 20 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 23 – Oct 21 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 15 – Apr 12 | Apr 22 |
| Basil | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | May 8 – May 22 | Jul 4 |
Cawston'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 |
|---|---|
| 1940 | Apr 30 |
| 1941 | May 9 |
| 1942 | May 17 |
| 1943 | May 17 |
| 1944 | May 11 |
| 1945 | May 7 |
| 1946 | May 10 |
| 1947 | Apr 22 |
| 1948 | May 2 |
| 1949 | May 6 |
| 1950 | May 25 |
| 1951 | Apr 27 |
| 1952 | Jun 13 |
| 1953 | May 23 |
| 1954 | May 26 |
| 1955 | May 23 |
| 1956 | May 13 |
| 1957 | Apr 26 |
| 1958 | May 13 |
| 1959 | May 12 |
| 1960 | May 23 |
| 1961 | May 7 |
| 1962 | May 7 |
| 1963 | May 10 |
| 1964 | May 15 |
| 1965 | May 18 |
| 1966 | Apr 29 |
| 1967 | May 26 |
| 1968 | May 8 |
| 1969 | May 4 |
| 1970 | May 12 |
| 1971 | Apr 20 |
| 1972 | May 5 |
| 1973 | May 27 |
| 1974 | May 16 |
| 1975 | Apr 30 |
| 1976 | Jun 3 |
| 1977 | May 30 |
| 1979 | Apr 24 |
| 1980 | Apr 18 |
| 1982 | May 5 |
| 1983 | Apr 29 |
| 1984 | May 25 |
| 1985 | May 13 |
| 1986 | May 16 |
| 1987 | Apr 20 |
| 1988 | May 4 |
| 1989 | Apr 9 |
| 1990 | Apr 30 |
| 1991 | Apr 26 |
| 1992 | Apr 24 |
| 1993 | Apr 13 |
| 1994 | Mar 30 |
| 1995 | Apr 20 |
| 1996 | May 9 |
| 1998 | Apr 13 |
| 1999 | May 9 |
| 2000 | Apr 7 |
| 2001 | Apr 19 |
| 2002 | May 8 |
| 2003 | Apr 18 |
| 2004 | Mar 28 |
| 2005 | Apr 15 |
| 2006 | Apr 18 |
| 2008 | Apr 26 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1940 | 174 |
| 1941 | 134 |
| 1942 | 123 |
| 1943 | 149 |
| 1944 | 147 |
| 1945 | 142 |
| 1946 | 134 |
| 1947 | 144 |
| 1948 | 143 |
| 1949 | 128 |
| 1950 | 127 |
| 1951 | 170 |
| 1952 | 114 |
| 1953 | 123 |
| 1954 | 126 |
| 1955 | 121 |
| 1956 | 131 |
| 1957 | 145 |
| 1958 | 133 |
| 1959 | 147 |
| 1960 | 126 |
| 1961 | 142 |
| 1962 | 123 |
| 1963 | 161 |
| 1964 | 134 |
| 1965 | 132 |
| 1966 | 162 |
| 1967 | 143 |
| 1968 | 133 |
| 1969 | 152 |
| 1970 | 123 |
| 1971 | 149 |
| 1972 | 142 |
| 1973 | 111 |
| 1974 | 133 |
| 1975 | 159 |
| 1976 | 96 |
| 1977 | 114 |
| 1979 | 161 |
| 1980 | 173 |
| 1982 | 152 |
| 1983 | 143 |
| 1984 | 121 |
| 1985 | 131 |
| 1986 | 147 |
| 1987 | 172 |
| 1988 | 165 |
| 1989 | 177 |
| 1990 | 158 |
| 1991 | 160 |
| 1992 | 165 |
| 1993 | 179 |
| 1994 | 188 |
| 1995 | 167 |
| 1996 | 136 |
| 1998 | 185 |
| 1999 | 141 |
| 2000 | 168 |
| 2001 | 168 |
| 2002 | 156 |
| 2003 | 179 |
| 2004 | 208 |
| 2005 | 169 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1940 | 18.3 °C |
| 1941 | 16.9 °C |
| 1942 | 16.9 °C |
| 1943 | 16.4 °C |
| 1944 | 17.1 °C |
| 1945 | 16.9 °C |
| 1946 | 16.8 °C |
| 1947 | 16.6 °C |
| 1948 | 15.6 °C |
| 1949 | 16.4 °C |
| 1950 | 16.1 °C |
| 1951 | 16.1 °C |
| 1952 | 16.3 °C |
| 1953 | 15.5 °C |
| 1954 | 14.7 °C |
| 1955 | 15.3 °C |
| 1956 | 16.6 °C |
| 1957 | 16.5 °C |
| 1958 | 17.6 °C |
| 1959 | 15.4 °C |
| 1960 | 16.0 °C |
| 1961 | 16.9 °C |
| 1962 | 16.0 °C |
| 1963 | 16.4 °C |
| 1964 | 15.2 °C |
| 1965 | 16.2 °C |
| 1966 | 16.0 °C |
| 1967 | 17.3 °C |
| 1968 | 15.4 °C |
| 1969 | 16.4 °C |
| 1970 | 16.0 °C |
| 1971 | 15.9 °C |
| 1972 | 15.3 °C |
| 1973 | 16.3 °C |
| 1974 | 16.1 °C |
| 1975 | 16.0 °C |
| 1976 | 15.4 °C |
| 1977 | 16.2 °C |
| 1979 | 16.7 °C |
| 1980 | 15.8 °C |
| 1982 | 16.1 °C |
| 1983 | 15.7 °C |
| 1984 | 15.2 °C |
| 1985 | 16.6 °C |
| 1986 | 16.5 °C |
| 1987 | 17.7 °C |
| 1988 | 17.0 °C |
| 1989 | 17.2 °C |
| 1990 | 17.6 °C |
| 1991 | 17.2 °C |
| 1992 | 17.6 °C |
| 1993 | 16.6 °C |
| 1994 | 18.0 °C |
| 1995 | 17.3 °C |
| 1996 | 16.6 °C |
| 1998 | 19.0 °C |
| 1999 | 16.5 °C |
| 2000 | 17.1 °C |
| 2001 | 17.4 °C |
| 2002 | 17.8 °C |
| 2003 | 18.2 °C |
| 2004 | 18.1 °C |
| 2005 | 17.8 °C |
| 2007 | 17.8 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1940, Cawston's last spring frost has come about 4 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 6 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Oliver (NOAA GHCN-Daily, from Environment and Climate Change Canada). Years with too many missing days are left out.