When to plant in Houston, BC
Planting dates worked out from Houston's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Jun 15
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 29
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Sep 10
1 year in 10 by Sep 2
Frost-free days
102
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Houston · 0.4 km away · station 610 m, town 590 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 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 15 – Jun 29 | Aug 9 |
| Sweet pepper | Apr 6 – Apr 20 | Jun 15 – Jun 29 | Aug 14 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 27 – Apr 3 | May 1 – May 15 | Jun 10 |
| Peas | — | Apr 22 – May 20 | Jun 16 |
| Bush beans | — | Jun 8 – Jun 29 | Jul 28 |
| Carrot | — | May 8 – Jun 19 | Jul 7 |
| Beet | — | May 4 – Jun 15 | Jun 23 |
| Potato | — | May 8 – May 29 | Jul 17 |
| Kale | Mar 20 – Apr 3 | May 1 – May 15 | Jun 13 |
| Broccoli | Mar 20 – Apr 3 | May 1 – May 22 | Jun 30 |
| Cucumber | May 18 – May 25 | Jun 15 – Jun 29 | Aug 4 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | May 18 – May 25 | Jun 15 – Jun 29 | Jul 30 |
| Winter squash Season likely too short |
May 18 – May 25 | Jun 15 – Jun 29 | Sep 3 |
| Sweet corn | — | Jun 8 – Jun 29 | Aug 7 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | May 1 – May 22 | Jul 30 |
| Garlic | — | Aug 27 – Sep 24 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 22 – May 20 | May 30 |
| Basil | May 4 – May 18 | Jun 15 – Jun 29 | Aug 11 |
Houston'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 | Jun 23 |
| 1960 | Jul 9 |
| 1961 | Jun 27 |
| 1962 | Jul 1 |
| 1963 | Jun 27 |
| 1990 | May 24 |
| 1991 | Jun 2 |
| 1992 | May 20 |
| 1993 | Jun 11 |
| 1994 | May 30 |
| 1995 | Jun 26 |
| 1997 | May 23 |
| 1998 | May 19 |
| 1999 | Jun 6 |
| 2000 | May 30 |
| 2001 | Jun 10 |
| 2002 | May 18 |
| 2003 | Jun 3 |
| 2004 | Jun 14 |
| 2005 | May 17 |
| 2006 | May 15 |
| 2007 | May 20 |
| 2009 | Jun 30 |
| 2010 | Jun 15 |
| 2011 | May 14 |
| 2012 | Jun 4 |
| 2013 | May 3 |
| 2014 | May 6 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1959 | 31 |
| 1960 | 8 |
| 1961 | 55 |
| 1962 | 43 |
| 1963 | 23 |
| 1991 | 91 |
| 1993 | 92 |
| 1994 | 103 |
| 1995 | 49 |
| 1997 | 117 |
| 1998 | 107 |
| 1999 | 92 |
| 2000 | 102 |
| 2001 | 86 |
| 2002 | 77 |
| 2003 | 108 |
| 2004 | 97 |
| 2005 | 121 |
| 2006 | 138 |
| 2007 | 115 |
| 2009 | 88 |
| 2010 | 90 |
| 2013 | 143 |
| 2014 | 126 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1959 | 9.4 °C |
| 1960 | 9.4 °C |
| 1962 | 9.3 °C |
| 1963 | 10.4 °C |
| 1991 | 11.6 °C |
| 1992 | 11.5 °C |
| 1993 | 12.2 °C |
| 1994 | 12.5 °C |
| 1995 | 12.2 °C |
| 1996 | 10.9 °C |
| 1997 | 11.9 °C |
| 1998 | 12.5 °C |
| 1999 | 10.2 °C |
| 2000 | 10.6 °C |
| 2001 | 9.9 °C |
| 2002 | 10.4 °C |
| 2003 | 10.9 °C |
| 2004 | 12.7 °C |
| 2005 | 12.0 °C |
| 2006 | 12.0 °C |
| 2007 | 11.0 °C |
| 2008 | 11.3 °C |
| 2009 | 12.1 °C |
| 2010 | 11.2 °C |
| 2011 | 11.0 °C |
| 2012 | 12.1 °C |
| 2013 | 13.3 °C |
| 2014 | 13.3 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Houston (NOAA GHCN-Daily, from Environment and Climate Change Canada). Years with too many missing days are left out.