When to plant in Gibsons, BC
Planting dates worked out from Gibsons's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Mar 24
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Feb 22
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 27
1 year in 10 by Nov 4
Frost-free days
272
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Gibsons Gower Point · 2.8 km away · station 34 m, town 16 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 12 – Mar 26 | May 7 – May 21 | Jul 1 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | May 7 – May 21 | Jul 6 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 29 – Feb 5 | Mar 5 – Mar 19 | Apr 14 |
| Peas | — | Mar 5 – Apr 2 | Apr 29 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 29 – May 20 | Jun 18 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 31 – May 12 | May 30 |
| Beet | — | Mar 31 – May 12 | May 20 |
| Potato | — | Mar 31 – Apr 21 | Jun 9 |
| Kale | Jan 29 – Feb 12 | Mar 12 – Mar 26 | Apr 24 |
| Broccoli | Jan 22 – Feb 5 | Mar 5 – Mar 26 | May 4 |
| Cucumber | Apr 9 – Apr 16 | May 7 – May 21 | Jun 26 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 9 – Apr 16 | May 7 – May 21 | Jun 21 |
| Winter squash | Apr 9 – Apr 16 | May 7 – May 21 | Jul 26 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 29 – May 20 | Jun 28 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 5 – Mar 26 | Jun 3 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 7 – Nov 4 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 5 – Apr 2 | Apr 12 |
| Basil | Mar 26 – Apr 9 | May 7 – May 21 | Jul 3 |
Gibsons'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 |
|---|---|
| 1971 | Mar 21 |
| 1972 | Apr 22 |
| 1973 | Mar 17 |
| 1974 | Mar 14 |
| 1975 | Apr 1 |
| 1976 | Apr 1 |
| 1977 | Mar 28 |
| 1978 | Mar 4 |
| 1979 | Mar 1 |
| 1980 | Mar 30 |
| 1981 | Apr 13 |
| 1982 | Feb 24 |
| 1983 | Apr 10 |
| 1984 | Jan 31 |
| 1985 | Feb 10 |
| 1986 | Feb 22 |
| 1987 | Mar 1 |
| 1988 | Mar 13 |
| 1989 | Mar 4 |
| 1990 | Mar 12 |
| 1991 | Mar 10 |
| 1992 | Feb 7 |
| 1993 | Feb 27 |
| 1994 | Mar 24 |
| 1995 | Mar 25 |
| 1996 | Mar 24 |
| 1997 | Mar 16 |
| 1998 | Jan 13 |
| 1999 | Mar 6 |
| 2000 | Feb 17 |
| 2001 | Mar 27 |
| 2003 | Mar 8 |
| 2004 | Jan 7 |
| 2005 | Feb 17 |
| 2006 | Mar 11 |
| 2007 | Mar 2 |
| 2008 | Jan 30 |
| 2009 | Mar 12 |
| 2011 | Feb 27 |
| 2012 | Mar 7 |
| 2013 | Jan 21 |
| 2014 | Feb 25 |
| 2016 | Jan 5 |
| 2017 | Mar 6 |
| 2018 | Feb 26 |
| 2019 | Mar 10 |
| 2020 | Mar 15 |
| 2021 | Feb 27 |
| 2022 | Feb 25 |
| 2023 | Feb 28 |
| 2024 | Mar 7 |
| 2025 | Feb 14 |
| 2026 | Mar 14 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1971 | 219 |
| 1972 | 223 |
| 1973 | 228 |
| 1974 | 282 |
| 1975 | 222 |
| 1976 | 238 |
| 1977 | 233 |
| 1978 | 250 |
| 1979 | 255 |
| 1980 | 227 |
| 1981 | 242 |
| 1982 | 262 |
| 1983 | 233 |
| 1984 | 272 |
| 1985 | 272 |
| 1986 | 259 |
| 1987 | 259 |
| 1988 | 257 |
| 1989 | 282 |
| 1990 | 252 |
| 1991 | 231 |
| 1992 | 288 |
| 1993 | 267 |
| 1994 | 232 |
| 1995 | 253 |
| 1996 | 236 |
| 1997 | 264 |
| 1998 | 338 |
| 1999 | 291 |
| 2000 | 272 |
| 2001 | 250 |
| 2003 | 240 |
| 2004 | 357 |
| 2005 | 283 |
| 2006 | 233 |
| 2007 | 272 |
| 2008 | 316 |
| 2009 | 268 |
| 2010 | 322 |
| 2011 | 284 |
| 2013 | 302 |
| 2014 | 261 |
| 2015 | 327 |
| 2016 | 334 |
| 2017 | 241 |
| 2018 | 280 |
| 2019 | 262 |
| 2020 | 283 |
| 2021 | 280 |
| 2022 | 255 |
| 2023 | 305 |
| 2024 | 298 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1971 | 13.7 °C |
| 1972 | 13.5 °C |
| 1973 | 13.7 °C |
| 1974 | 13.6 °C |
| 1975 | 13.1 °C |
| 1976 | 13.0 °C |
| 1977 | 14.3 °C |
| 1978 | 14.4 °C |
| 1979 | 14.5 °C |
| 1980 | 13.5 °C |
| 1981 | 14.2 °C |
| 1982 | 14.3 °C |
| 1983 | 14.6 °C |
| 1984 | 14.0 °C |
| 1985 | 14.6 °C |
| 1986 | 14.1 °C |
| 1987 | 14.6 °C |
| 1988 | 14.3 °C |
| 1989 | 14.9 °C |
| 1990 | 15.3 °C |
| 1991 | 14.4 °C |
| 1992 | 15.0 °C |
| 1993 | 14.5 °C |
| 1994 | 14.8 °C |
| 1995 | 15.3 °C |
| 1996 | 14.4 °C |
| 1997 | 15.2 °C |
| 1998 | 15.6 °C |
| 1999 | 13.9 °C |
| 2000 | 14.3 °C |
| 2001 | 14.0 °C |
| 2003 | 15.2 °C |
| 2004 | 15.9 °C |
| 2005 | 15.4 °C |
| 2006 | 15.0 °C |
| 2007 | 14.5 °C |
| 2008 | 14.3 °C |
| 2010 | 14.7 °C |
| 2011 | 14.1 °C |
| 2013 | 15.6 °C |
| 2014 | 16.1 °C |
| 2015 | 15.8 °C |
| 2016 | 15.6 °C |
| 2017 | 15.4 °C |
| 2018 | 15.3 °C |
| 2019 | 15.6 °C |
| 2020 | 15.3 °C |
| 2021 | 15.8 °C |
| 2022 | 15.2 °C |
| 2023 | 15.7 °C |
| 2024 | 15.1 °C |
| 2026 | 15.8 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1971, Gibsons's last spring frost has come about 5 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 11 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Gibsons Gower Point (NOAA GHCN-Daily, from Environment and Climate Change Canada). Years with too many missing days are left out.