When to plant in East Wellington, BC
Planting dates worked out from East Wellington's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 3
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 16
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 27
1 year in 10 by Oct 15
Frost-free days
197
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Nanaimo A · 17.1 km away · station 28 m, town 133 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 16 – Mar 30 | May 11 – May 25 | Jul 5 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 2 – Mar 16 | May 11 – May 25 | Jul 10 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 12 – Feb 19 | Mar 19 – Apr 2 | Apr 28 |
| Peas | — | Mar 14 – Apr 11 | May 8 |
| Bush beans | — | May 3 – May 24 | Jun 22 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 7 – May 19 | Jun 6 |
| Beet | — | Apr 7 – May 19 | May 27 |
| Potato | — | Apr 7 – Apr 28 | Jun 16 |
| Kale | Feb 7 – Feb 21 | Mar 21 – Apr 4 | May 3 |
| Broccoli | Feb 5 – Feb 19 | Mar 19 – Apr 9 | May 18 |
| Cucumber | Apr 13 – Apr 20 | May 11 – May 25 | Jun 30 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 13 – Apr 20 | May 11 – May 25 | Jun 25 |
| Winter squash | Apr 13 – Apr 20 | May 11 – May 25 | Jul 30 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 3 – May 24 | Jul 2 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 19 – Apr 9 | Jun 17 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 2 – Oct 30 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 14 – Apr 11 | Apr 21 |
| Basil | Mar 30 – Apr 13 | May 11 – May 25 | Jul 7 |
East Wellington'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 |
|---|---|
| 1948 | May 4 |
| 1949 | May 5 |
| 1950 | May 24 |
| 1951 | May 2 |
| 1952 | May 6 |
| 1953 | May 2 |
| 1954 | May 1 |
| 1955 | May 31 |
| 1956 | May 3 |
| 1957 | Apr 22 |
| 1958 | May 12 |
| 1959 | May 5 |
| 1960 | Apr 21 |
| 1961 | Apr 20 |
| 1962 | May 7 |
| 1963 | May 3 |
| 1964 | May 24 |
| 1965 | May 17 |
| 1966 | Apr 28 |
| 1967 | Apr 26 |
| 1968 | May 5 |
| 1969 | Apr 26 |
| 1970 | May 9 |
| 1971 | May 14 |
| 1972 | Apr 30 |
| 1973 | May 9 |
| 1974 | May 15 |
| 1975 | May 4 |
| 1976 | Apr 25 |
| 1977 | Apr 20 |
| 1978 | Apr 23 |
| 1979 | Apr 20 |
| 1980 | Apr 16 |
| 1981 | Apr 14 |
| 1982 | Apr 25 |
| 1983 | Apr 14 |
| 1984 | Apr 13 |
| 1985 | Apr 30 |
| 1986 | Apr 30 |
| 1987 | Apr 19 |
| 1988 | Apr 9 |
| 1989 | Mar 28 |
| 1990 | Mar 26 |
| 1991 | Apr 8 |
| 1992 | Apr 10 |
| 1993 | Mar 28 |
| 1994 | Mar 25 |
| 1995 | Apr 16 |
| 1996 | Apr 3 |
| 1997 | Apr 7 |
| 1998 | Apr 12 |
| 1999 | May 10 |
| 2000 | Apr 24 |
| 2001 | Apr 15 |
| 2002 | May 7 |
| 2003 | May 16 |
| 2004 | Apr 1 |
| 2005 | Apr 14 |
| 2006 | Apr 17 |
| 2007 | Apr 20 |
| 2008 | Apr 26 |
| 2009 | Apr 15 |
| 2010 | Apr 10 |
| 2011 | Apr 23 |
| 2012 | Apr 17 |
| 2013 | Apr 13 |
| 2014 | Apr 14 |
| 2015 | Apr 15 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1948 | 149 |
| 1949 | 129 |
| 1951 | 165 |
| 1952 | 160 |
| 1953 | 171 |
| 1954 | 151 |
| 1955 | 126 |
| 1956 | 173 |
| 1957 | 166 |
| 1958 | 156 |
| 1959 | 156 |
| 1960 | 190 |
| 1961 | 161 |
| 1962 | 150 |
| 1963 | 167 |
| 1964 | 144 |
| 1965 | 178 |
| 1966 | 167 |
| 1967 | 182 |
| 1968 | 169 |
| 1969 | 169 |
| 1970 | 126 |
| 1971 | 153 |
| 1972 | 147 |
| 1973 | 150 |
| 1974 | 160 |
| 1975 | 172 |
| 1976 | 174 |
| 1977 | 182 |
| 1978 | 184 |
| 1980 | 182 |
| 1981 | 189 |
| 1982 | 175 |
| 1983 | 224 |
| 1984 | 186 |
| 1985 | 160 |
| 1986 | 168 |
| 1987 | 181 |
| 1988 | 200 |
| 1989 | 216 |
| 1990 | 220 |
| 1991 | 197 |
| 1992 | 186 |
| 1993 | 217 |
| 1994 | 217 |
| 1995 | 195 |
| 1996 | 199 |
| 1997 | 215 |
| 1998 | 199 |
| 1999 | 158 |
| 2000 | 199 |
| 2001 | 184 |
| 2003 | 166 |
| 2004 | 204 |
| 2005 | 194 |
| 2006 | 195 |
| 2008 | 171 |
| 2009 | 178 |
| 2010 | 211 |
| 2011 | 174 |
| 2012 | 205 |
| 2013 | 197 |
| 2014 | 210 |
| 2015 | 208 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1948 | 13.0 °C |
| 1949 | 13.3 °C |
| 1951 | 14.2 °C |
| 1952 | 13.5 °C |
| 1953 | 13.2 °C |
| 1954 | 12.4 °C |
| 1955 | 12.1 °C |
| 1956 | 14.0 °C |
| 1957 | 14.0 °C |
| 1958 | 15.7 °C |
| 1959 | 13.5 °C |
| 1960 | 13.5 °C |
| 1961 | 14.6 °C |
| 1962 | 13.2 °C |
| 1963 | 13.9 °C |
| 1964 | 13.0 °C |
| 1965 | 13.6 °C |
| 1966 | 13.6 °C |
| 1967 | 14.8 °C |
| 1968 | 13.9 °C |
| 1969 | 14.3 °C |
| 1970 | 13.8 °C |
| 1971 | 14.1 °C |
| 1972 | 13.9 °C |
| 1973 | 13.9 °C |
| 1974 | 14.2 °C |
| 1975 | 14.1 °C |
| 1976 | 13.5 °C |
| 1977 | 14.4 °C |
| 1978 | 14.2 °C |
| 1979 | 14.6 °C |
| 1980 | 14.0 °C |
| 1981 | 14.1 °C |
| 1982 | 14.2 °C |
| 1983 | 14.2 °C |
| 1984 | 13.7 °C |
| 1985 | 14.4 °C |
| 1986 | 14.3 °C |
| 1987 | 15.3 °C |
| 1988 | 14.3 °C |
| 1989 | 15.0 °C |
| 1990 | 15.4 °C |
| 1991 | 14.5 °C |
| 1992 | 15.2 °C |
| 1993 | 14.8 °C |
| 1994 | 15.3 °C |
| 1995 | 15.5 °C |
| 1996 | 14.3 °C |
| 1997 | 14.9 °C |
| 1998 | 15.7 °C |
| 1999 | 13.9 °C |
| 2000 | 14.3 °C |
| 2001 | 14.0 °C |
| 2003 | 15.2 °C |
| 2004 | 15.7 °C |
| 2005 | 15.0 °C |
| 2008 | 13.9 °C |
| 2009 | 15.4 °C |
| 2010 | 14.4 °C |
| 2011 | 14.1 °C |
| 2012 | 14.6 °C |
| 2013 | 15.3 °C |
| 2014 | 15.6 °C |
| 2015 | 15.9 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1948, East Wellington's last spring frost has come about 4 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 8 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Nanaimo A (NOAA GHCN-Daily, from Environment and Climate Change Canada). Years with too many missing days are left out.