When to plant in River Springs, BC
Planting dates worked out from River Springs's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 30
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 7
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 2
1 year in 10 by Oct 12
Frost-free days
206
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Pitt Meadows Cs · 10.0 km away · station 5 m, town 56 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 10 – Mar 24 | May 5 – May 19 | Jun 29 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 24 – Mar 10 | May 5 – May 19 | Jul 4 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 3 – Feb 10 | Mar 10 – Mar 24 | Apr 19 |
| Peas | — | Mar 9 – Apr 6 | May 3 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 28 – May 19 | Jun 17 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 29 – May 10 | May 28 |
| Beet | — | Mar 29 – May 10 | May 18 |
| Potato | — | Mar 29 – Apr 19 | Jun 7 |
| Kale | Feb 2 – Feb 16 | Mar 16 – Mar 30 | Apr 28 |
| Broccoli | Jan 27 – Feb 10 | Mar 10 – Mar 31 | May 9 |
| Cucumber | Apr 7 – Apr 14 | May 5 – May 19 | Jun 24 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 7 – Apr 14 | May 5 – May 19 | Jun 19 |
| Winter squash | Apr 7 – Apr 14 | May 5 – May 19 | Jul 24 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 28 – May 19 | Jun 27 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 10 – Mar 31 | Jun 8 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 5 – Nov 2 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 9 – Apr 6 | Apr 16 |
| Basil | Mar 24 – Apr 7 | May 5 – May 19 | Jul 1 |
River Springs'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 |
|---|---|
| 1994 | Mar 26 |
| 1995 | Apr 16 |
| 1996 | May 9 |
| 1997 | Apr 7 |
| 1998 | Apr 15 |
| 1999 | Apr 15 |
| 2000 | Apr 17 |
| 2001 | Apr 15 |
| 2002 | May 7 |
| 2003 | Mar 24 |
| 2004 | Apr 2 |
| 2005 | Mar 22 |
| 2006 | Mar 29 |
| 2007 | Apr 20 |
| 2008 | Apr 26 |
| 2009 | Apr 4 |
| 2010 | May 5 |
| 2011 | Apr 23 |
| 2012 | Apr 8 |
| 2013 | Apr 22 |
| 2014 | Mar 23 |
| 2015 | Mar 8 |
| 2016 | Mar 17 |
| 2017 | Mar 20 |
| 2018 | Apr 2 |
| 2019 | Mar 18 |
| 2020 | Mar 21 |
| 2021 | Apr 12 |
| 2022 | Apr 16 |
| 2023 | Apr 12 |
| 2024 | Mar 7 |
| 2025 | Mar 18 |
| 2026 | Mar 14 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1994 | 220 |
| 1995 | 195 |
| 1996 | 169 |
| 1997 | 195 |
| 1998 | 245 |
| 1999 | 194 |
| 2000 | 206 |
| 2001 | 208 |
| 2002 | 157 |
| 2003 | 220 |
| 2004 | 211 |
| 2005 | 236 |
| 2006 | 213 |
| 2007 | 188 |
| 2008 | 167 |
| 2009 | 189 |
| 2010 | 189 |
| 2011 | 191 |
| 2012 | 196 |
| 2013 | 189 |
| 2014 | 231 |
| 2015 | 252 |
| 2016 | 261 |
| 2017 | 227 |
| 2018 | 222 |
| 2019 | 204 |
| 2020 | 216 |
| 2021 | 201 |
| 2022 | 200 |
| 2023 | 197 |
| 2024 | 265 |
| 2025 | 245 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1994 | 16.2 °C |
| 1995 | 16.0 °C |
| 1996 | 15.1 °C |
| 1997 | 16.0 °C |
| 1998 | 16.2 °C |
| 1999 | 14.2 °C |
| 2000 | 14.3 °C |
| 2001 | 14.2 °C |
| 2002 | 14.1 °C |
| 2003 | 15.1 °C |
| 2004 | 16.2 °C |
| 2005 | 15.5 °C |
| 2006 | 15.5 °C |
| 2007 | 14.8 °C |
| 2008 | 14.5 °C |
| 2009 | 15.9 °C |
| 2010 | 13.8 °C |
| 2011 | 13.9 °C |
| 2012 | 14.7 °C |
| 2013 | 15.5 °C |
| 2014 | 16.3 °C |
| 2015 | 16.6 °C |
| 2016 | 16.6 °C |
| 2017 | 16.4 °C |
| 2018 | 16.4 °C |
| 2019 | 16.3 °C |
| 2020 | 16.1 °C |
| 2021 | 16.8 °C |
| 2022 | 16.3 °C |
| 2023 | 17.0 °C |
| 2024 | 16.4 °C |
| 2025 | 17.2 °C |
| 2026 | 17.1 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1994, River Springs's last spring frost has come about 8 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 10 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Pitt Meadows Cs (NOAA GHCN-Daily, from Environment and Climate Change Canada). Years with too many missing days are left out.