When to plant in Greektown, BC
Planting dates worked out from Greektown's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Mar 13
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Feb 19
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 30
1 year in 10 by Nov 2
Frost-free days
281
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Vancouver Harbour Cs · 5.2 km away · station 2 m, town 22 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 5 – Mar 19 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 24 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 19 – Mar 5 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 29 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 18 – Jan 25 | Feb 22 – Mar 8 | Apr 3 |
| Peas | — | Feb 22 – Mar 22 | Apr 18 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 21 – May 12 | Jun 10 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 22 – May 3 | May 21 |
| Beet | — | Mar 22 – May 3 | May 11 |
| Potato | — | Mar 22 – Apr 12 | May 31 |
| Kale | Jan 18 – Feb 1 | Mar 1 – Mar 15 | Apr 13 |
| Broccoli | Jan 11 – Jan 25 | Feb 22 – Mar 15 | Apr 23 |
| Cucumber | Apr 2 – Apr 9 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 19 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 2 – Apr 9 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 14 |
| Winter squash | Apr 2 – Apr 9 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jul 19 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 21 – May 12 | Jun 20 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 22 – Mar 15 | May 23 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 11 – Nov 8 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 22 – Mar 22 | Apr 1 |
| Basil | Mar 19 – Apr 2 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 26 |
Greektown'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 |
|---|---|
| 1959 | Feb 11 |
| 1966 | Mar 21 |
| 1968 | Feb 18 |
| 1976 | Mar 5 |
| 1977 | Jan 30 |
| 1978 | Mar 4 |
| 1979 | Feb 22 |
| 1980 | Jan 31 |
| 1981 | Feb 12 |
| 1982 | Feb 9 |
| 1983 | Feb 5 |
| 1984 | Feb 16 |
| 1985 | Mar 10 |
| 1986 | Feb 21 |
| 1987 | Feb 25 |
| 1990 | Mar 12 |
| 1991 | Mar 5 |
| 1992 | Jan 7 |
| 1993 | Feb 26 |
| 1994 | Mar 6 |
| 1995 | Feb 27 |
| 1996 | Mar 2 |
| 1997 | Mar 14 |
| 1998 | Mar 6 |
| 1999 | Mar 6 |
| 2000 | Feb 17 |
| 2001 | Feb 12 |
| 2002 | Mar 20 |
| 2004 | Jan 7 |
| 2005 | Feb 21 |
| 2006 | Mar 12 |
| 2008 | Feb 4 |
| 2009 | Mar 12 |
| 2012 | Feb 27 |
| 2013 | Jan 22 |
| 2014 | Feb 9 |
| 2016 | Jan 3 |
| 2017 | Feb 28 |
| 2018 | Feb 26 |
| 2019 | Mar 10 |
| 2020 | Mar 15 |
| 2021 | Feb 13 |
| 2022 | Feb 25 |
| 2023 | Feb 25 |
| 2024 | Mar 7 |
| 2025 | Feb 13 |
| 2026 | Feb 20 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1976 | 266 |
| 1977 | 291 |
| 1978 | 251 |
| 1979 | 276 |
| 1980 | 306 |
| 1981 | 302 |
| 1982 | 273 |
| 1983 | 296 |
| 1984 | 256 |
| 1985 | 245 |
| 1986 | 261 |
| 1987 | 264 |
| 1990 | 264 |
| 1991 | 236 |
| 1992 | 329 |
| 1993 | 268 |
| 1994 | 271 |
| 1995 | 280 |
| 1996 | 261 |
| 1997 | 291 |
| 1998 | 286 |
| 1999 | 299 |
| 2000 | 270 |
| 2001 | 310 |
| 2002 | 285 |
| 2004 | 357 |
| 2005 | 282 |
| 2006 | 232 |
| 2008 | 311 |
| 2009 | 264 |
| 2012 | 306 |
| 2013 | 301 |
| 2014 | 275 |
| 2015 | 327 |
| 2016 | 337 |
| 2017 | 250 |
| 2018 | 280 |
| 2019 | 262 |
| 2020 | 223 |
| 2021 | 309 |
| 2022 | 256 |
| 2023 | 308 |
| 2024 | 298 |
| 2025 | 320 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1959 | 13.9 °C |
| 1965 | 14.0 °C |
| 1968 | 14.4 °C |
| 1976 | 14.1 °C |
| 1977 | 14.6 °C |
| 1978 | 14.8 °C |
| 1979 | 15.1 °C |
| 1980 | 14.4 °C |
| 1981 | 14.6 °C |
| 1982 | 14.4 °C |
| 1983 | 14.6 °C |
| 1984 | 14.2 °C |
| 1985 | 14.7 °C |
| 1986 | 14.6 °C |
| 1987 | 15.3 °C |
| 1990 | 15.4 °C |
| 1991 | 14.6 °C |
| 1992 | 16.5 °C |
| 1993 | 16.1 °C |
| 1994 | 16.6 °C |
| 1995 | 16.2 °C |
| 1996 | 15.3 °C |
| 1997 | 16.0 °C |
| 1998 | 16.8 °C |
| 1999 | 14.7 °C |
| 2000 | 15.3 °C |
| 2001 | 15.2 °C |
| 2002 | 15.1 °C |
| 2003 | 16.1 °C |
| 2004 | 16.3 °C |
| 2005 | 15.5 °C |
| 2006 | 15.3 °C |
| 2008 | 14.5 °C |
| 2009 | 15.9 °C |
| 2012 | 15.0 °C |
| 2013 | 15.8 °C |
| 2014 | 16.5 °C |
| 2015 | 16.6 °C |
| 2016 | 16.4 °C |
| 2017 | 16.1 °C |
| 2018 | 16.3 °C |
| 2019 | 16.4 °C |
| 2020 | 16.1 °C |
| 2021 | 16.6 °C |
| 2022 | 15.9 °C |
| 2023 | 16.6 °C |
| 2024 | 15.9 °C |
| 2025 | 16.6 °C |
| 2026 | 16.4 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1959, Greektown's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. The frost-free season has grown by about 4 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Vancouver Harbour Cs (NOAA GHCN-Daily, from Environment and Climate Change Canada). Years with too many missing days are left out.