When to plant in Saltair, BC
Planting dates worked out from Saltair's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Mar 25
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 10
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 24
1 year in 10 by Nov 1
Frost-free days
258
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Chemainus · 2.6 km away · station 75 m, town 67 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 8 – Mar 22 | May 3 – May 17 | Jun 27 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 22 – Mar 8 | May 3 – May 17 | Jul 2 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 26 – Feb 2 | Mar 2 – Mar 16 | Apr 11 |
| Peas | — | Mar 2 – Mar 30 | Apr 26 |
| 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 26 – Feb 9 | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Apr 21 |
| Broccoli | Jan 19 – Feb 2 | Mar 2 – Mar 23 | May 1 |
| Cucumber | Apr 5 – Apr 12 | May 3 – May 17 | Jun 22 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 5 – Apr 12 | May 3 – May 17 | Jun 17 |
| Winter squash | Apr 5 – Apr 12 | May 3 – May 17 | Jul 22 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 26 – May 17 | Jun 25 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 2 – Mar 23 | May 31 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 8 – Nov 5 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 2 – Mar 30 | Apr 9 |
| Basil | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | May 3 – May 17 | Jun 29 |
Saltair'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 |
|---|---|
| 1992 | Feb 19 |
| 1993 | Feb 26 |
| 1994 | Mar 22 |
| 1995 | Mar 5 |
| 1996 | Mar 25 |
| 1997 | Mar 16 |
| 1998 | Mar 6 |
| 1999 | Mar 27 |
| 2000 | Mar 6 |
| 2001 | Mar 3 |
| 2002 | Mar 21 |
| 2003 | Mar 8 |
| 2004 | Jan 31 |
| 2005 | Feb 27 |
| 2006 | Mar 19 |
| 2007 | Mar 2 |
| 2008 | Apr 19 |
| 2009 | Mar 21 |
| 2010 | Mar 9 |
| 2011 | Apr 15 |
| 2012 | Mar 24 |
| 2013 | Mar 22 |
| 2014 | Mar 2 |
| 2015 | Mar 4 |
| 2016 | Jan 10 |
| 2017 | Mar 8 |
| 2018 | Feb 26 |
| 2019 | Mar 10 |
| 2020 | Mar 15 |
| 2021 | Feb 24 |
| 2022 | Mar 10 |
| 2023 | Mar 1 |
| 2024 | Mar 7 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1993 | 268 |
| 1994 | 240 |
| 1995 | 273 |
| 1996 | 236 |
| 1997 | 264 |
| 1998 | 287 |
| 1999 | 273 |
| 2000 | 249 |
| 2001 | 274 |
| 2002 | 282 |
| 2003 | 237 |
| 2004 | 307 |
| 2005 | 275 |
| 2006 | 225 |
| 2007 | 264 |
| 2008 | 237 |
| 2009 | 255 |
| 2010 | 255 |
| 2011 | 213 |
| 2012 | 231 |
| 2013 | 242 |
| 2014 | 255 |
| 2015 | 261 |
| 2016 | 328 |
| 2017 | 240 |
| 2018 | 280 |
| 2019 | 263 |
| 2020 | 223 |
| 2021 | 283 |
| 2022 | 242 |
| 2023 | 296 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1992 | 15.6 °C |
| 1993 | 15.4 °C |
| 1994 | 16.0 °C |
| 1995 | 16.2 °C |
| 1996 | 15.2 °C |
| 1997 | 15.6 °C |
| 1998 | 16.4 °C |
| 1999 | 14.7 °C |
| 2000 | 15.0 °C |
| 2001 | 14.7 °C |
| 2002 | 15.4 °C |
| 2003 | 16.0 °C |
| 2004 | 16.5 °C |
| 2005 | 15.9 °C |
| 2006 | 16.0 °C |
| 2007 | 15.1 °C |
| 2008 | 14.7 °C |
| 2009 | 16.1 °C |
| 2010 | 14.9 °C |
| 2011 | 14.4 °C |
| 2012 | 15.1 °C |
| 2013 | 16.0 °C |
| 2014 | 16.6 °C |
| 2015 | 16.9 °C |
| 2016 | 16.7 °C |
| 2017 | 16.2 °C |
| 2018 | 16.5 °C |
| 2019 | 16.4 °C |
| 2020 | 16.0 °C |
| 2021 | 16.8 °C |
| 2022 | 15.7 °C |
| 2024 | 16.6 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1992, Saltair's last spring frost has come about 2 days earlier per decade, on average. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Chemainus (NOAA GHCN-Daily, from Environment and Climate Change Canada). Years with too many missing days are left out.