When to plant in Madeira Park, BC
Planting dates worked out from Madeira Park's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Mar 9
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Feb 9
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Dec 16
1 year in 10 by Nov 26
Frost-free days
305
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Merry Island Lightstation · 18.7 km away · station 7 m, town 13 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 9 – Mar 23 | May 4 – May 18 | Jun 28 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 23 – Mar 9 | May 4 – May 18 | Jul 3 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 20 – Jan 27 | Feb 24 – Mar 10 | Apr 5 |
| Peas | — | Feb 24 – Mar 24 | Apr 20 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 26 – May 17 | Jun 15 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 26 – May 7 | May 25 |
| Beet | — | Mar 26 – May 7 | May 15 |
| Potato | — | Mar 26 – Apr 16 | Jun 4 |
| Kale | Jan 20 – Feb 3 | Mar 3 – Mar 17 | Apr 15 |
| Broccoli | Jan 13 – Jan 27 | Feb 24 – Mar 17 | Apr 25 |
| Cucumber | Apr 6 – Apr 13 | May 4 – May 18 | Jun 23 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 6 – Apr 13 | May 4 – May 18 | Jun 18 |
| Winter squash | Apr 6 – Apr 13 | May 4 – May 18 | Jul 23 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 26 – May 17 | Jun 25 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 24 – Mar 17 | May 25 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 11 – Nov 8 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 24 – Mar 24 | Apr 3 |
| Basil | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | May 4 – May 18 | Jun 30 |
Madeira Park'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 |
|---|---|
| 1960 | Mar 4 |
| 1961 | Jan 28 |
| 1962 | Mar 4 |
| 1963 | Feb 1 |
| 1965 | Jan 4 |
| 1966 | Jan 4 |
| 1967 | Jan 7 |
| 1968 | Jan 31 |
| 1969 | Feb 6 |
| 1970 | Jan 16 |
| 1971 | Mar 18 |
| 1972 | Mar 7 |
| 1973 | Mar 16 |
| 1974 | Mar 22 |
| 1975 | Apr 3 |
| 1976 | Mar 5 |
| 1977 | Jan 28 |
| 1978 | Feb 1 |
| 1979 | Feb 14 |
| 1980 | Jan 30 |
| 1981 | Feb 11 |
| 1982 | Feb 9 |
| 1983 | Feb 5 |
| 1984 | Jan 20 |
| 1985 | Feb 4 |
| 1986 | Feb 21 |
| 1988 | Feb 2 |
| 1989 | Mar 3 |
| 1990 | Feb 19 |
| 1991 | Mar 1 |
| 1993 | Feb 25 |
| 1994 | Feb 25 |
| 1995 | Feb 15 |
| 1996 | Feb 27 |
| 1998 | Jan 12 |
| 2001 | Feb 17 |
| 2002 | Mar 21 |
| 2003 | Feb 25 |
| 2004 | Jan 7 |
| 2005 | Feb 16 |
| 2006 | Feb 24 |
| 2007 | Mar 1 |
| 2008 | Jan 28 |
| 2011 | Feb 27 |
| 2012 | Apr 1 |
| 2013 | Jan 13 |
| 2016 | Jan 3 |
| 2017 | Feb 28 |
| 2018 | Feb 24 |
| 2019 | Mar 5 |
| 2020 | Mar 15 |
| 2021 | Feb 13 |
| 2022 | Feb 24 |
| 2023 | Mar 3 |
| 2024 | Jan 18 |
| 2025 | Feb 13 |
| 2026 | Jan 25 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 301 |
| 1961 | 315 |
| 1962 | 301 |
| 1963 | 332 |
| 1964 | 331 |
| 1965 | 356 |
| 1966 | 308 |
| 1967 | 345 |
| 1968 | 328 |
| 1969 | 327 |
| 1970 | 308 |
| 1971 | 263 |
| 1972 | 270 |
| 1973 | 232 |
| 1974 | 283 |
| 1975 | 230 |
| 1976 | 288 |
| 1977 | 293 |
| 1978 | 292 |
| 1979 | 319 |
| 1980 | 307 |
| 1981 | 322 |
| 1982 | 324 |
| 1983 | 316 |
| 1984 | 283 |
| 1985 | 287 |
| 1986 | 312 |
| 1987 | 363 |
| 1988 | 331 |
| 1989 | 302 |
| 1990 | 301 |
| 1991 | 304 |
| 1992 | 351 |
| 1993 | 269 |
| 1994 | 280 |
| 1995 | 295 |
| 1996 | 265 |
| 1997 | 363 |
| 1998 | 340 |
| 1999 | 363 |
| 2000 | 347 |
| 2001 | 316 |
| 2002 | 284 |
| 2003 | 306 |
| 2004 | 357 |
| 2006 | 275 |
| 2007 | 304 |
| 2008 | 319 |
| 2011 | 306 |
| 2012 | 273 |
| 2013 | 326 |
| 2015 | 363 |
| 2016 | 336 |
| 2017 | 297 |
| 2018 | 285 |
| 2019 | 268 |
| 2020 | 290 |
| 2021 | 309 |
| 2022 | 253 |
| 2023 | 302 |
| 2024 | 346 |
| 2025 | 320 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 14.5 °C |
| 1961 | 15.4 °C |
| 1962 | 14.4 °C |
| 1963 | 15.2 °C |
| 1964 | 13.8 °C |
| 1965 | 14.7 °C |
| 1966 | 14.5 °C |
| 1967 | 15.9 °C |
| 1968 | 14.6 °C |
| 1969 | 15.0 °C |
| 1970 | 14.1 °C |
| 1971 | 13.8 °C |
| 1972 | 13.6 °C |
| 1973 | 14.1 °C |
| 1974 | 14.1 °C |
| 1975 | 13.8 °C |
| 1976 | 13.7 °C |
| 1977 | 14.4 °C |
| 1978 | 14.5 °C |
| 1979 | 15.0 °C |
| 1980 | 14.5 °C |
| 1981 | 14.6 °C |
| 1982 | 14.7 °C |
| 1983 | 14.8 °C |
| 1984 | 14.3 °C |
| 1985 | 14.7 °C |
| 1986 | 14.5 °C |
| 1987 | 15.2 °C |
| 1988 | 14.6 °C |
| 1989 | 15.1 °C |
| 1990 | 15.6 °C |
| 1991 | 14.8 °C |
| 1992 | 15.4 °C |
| 1993 | 15.1 °C |
| 1994 | 15.7 °C |
| 1995 | 15.6 °C |
| 1996 | 14.6 °C |
| 1997 | 15.5 °C |
| 1998 | 15.9 °C |
| 1999 | 14.2 °C |
| 2000 | 14.8 °C |
| 2001 | 14.3 °C |
| 2002 | 14.5 °C |
| 2003 | 15.5 °C |
| 2004 | 16.3 °C |
| 2006 | 15.7 °C |
| 2007 | 15.2 °C |
| 2008 | 14.6 °C |
| 2009 | 15.9 °C |
| 2012 | 15.3 °C |
| 2013 | 16.2 °C |
| 2015 | 16.5 °C |
| 2016 | 16.3 °C |
| 2017 | 16.0 °C |
| 2018 | 16.2 °C |
| 2019 | 16.1 °C |
| 2020 | 15.7 °C |
| 2021 | 16.6 °C |
| 2022 | 15.9 °C |
| 2023 | 16.3 °C |
| 2024 | 15.9 °C |
| 2025 | 16.4 °C |
| 2026 | 16.3 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1960, Madeira Park's last spring frost has come about 1 day later per decade, on average. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Merry Island Lightstation (NOAA GHCN-Daily, from Environment and Climate Change Canada). Years with too many missing days are left out.