When to plant in Taylor, BC

Planting dates worked out from Taylor's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.

Last spring frost

Early · riskyApr 269 years in 10 still get a later frost
TypicalMay 11about half of years get a later frost
Safe to plant outMay 231 year in 10 gets a later frost

Hardy crops like peas and spinach are timed from the typical date. Wait for the safe date before planting out tomatoes, peppers and squash.

First fall frost

EarlySep 41 year in 10 has frost by then
TypicalSep 17about half of years have had frost
LateOct 29 years in 10 have had frost by then

A typical year has 131 frost-free days. Plan for tender crops to be ripe by the early date.

Station used: Fort St John A · 10.2 km away · station 695 m, town 500 m. How we match towns to stations

The station sits 195 m higher than the town, so frost dates here may be off by a week or more. Check them against local experience.

This season

Plan your garden.

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Planting dates for common crops

Crop	Start indoors	Plant out or sow	Harvest from
Tomato	Apr 4 – Apr 18	May 30 – Jun 13	Jul 24
Sweet pepper	Mar 21 – Apr 4	May 30 – Jun 13	Jul 29
Lettuce (leaf)	Mar 22 – Mar 29	Apr 26 – May 10	Jun 5
Peas	—	Apr 26 – May 24	Jun 20
Bush beans	—	May 23 – Jun 13	Jul 12
Carrot	—	May 8 – Jun 19	Jul 7
Beet	—	May 8 – Jun 19	Jun 27
Potato	—	May 8 – May 29	Jul 17
Kale	Mar 22 – Apr 5	May 3 – May 17	Jun 15
Broccoli	Mar 15 – Mar 29	Apr 26 – May 17	Jun 25
Cucumber	May 2 – May 9	May 30 – Jun 13	Jul 19
Summer squash and zucchini	May 2 – May 9	May 30 – Jun 13	Jul 14
Winter squash	May 2 – May 9	May 30 – Jun 13	Aug 18
Sweet corn	—	May 23 – Jun 13	Jul 22
Onion (from sets)	—	Apr 26 – May 17	Jul 25
Garlic	—	Sep 3 – Oct 1 (fall)	following summer
Spinach	—	Apr 26 – May 24	Jun 3
Basil	Apr 18 – May 2	May 30 – Jun 13	Jul 26

Plan all 65 crops for Taylor

Taylor'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
1942	May 15
1943	May 15
1944	May 11
1945	May 9
1946	May 22
1947	May 19
1948	May 3
1949	Jun 25
1950	May 23
1951	Jun 26
1952	May 6
1953	May 1
1954	May 9
1955	May 14
1956	May 12
1957	May 13
1958	May 13
1959	May 26
1960	Jun 4
1961	May 12
1962	May 12
1963	May 26
1964	May 14
1965	May 20
1966	May 22
1967	May 12
1968	Jun 13
1969	Jun 12
1970	May 24
1971	May 9
1972	May 18
1973	Jun 1
1974	May 29
1975	May 25
1976	Jun 1
1977	Apr 30
1978	May 24
1979	May 15
1980	May 4
1981	May 4
1982	Jun 6
1983	May 23
1984	May 12
1985	May 12
1986	May 15
1987	May 19
1988	May 15
1989	May 27
1990	May 13
1991	May 1
1992	May 22
1993	Apr 26
1994	Apr 27
1995	May 5
1996	May 14
1997	May 20
1998	Apr 14
1999	May 18
2000	May 27
2001	Apr 22
2002	May 8
2003	May 18
2004	May 23
2005	May 2
2006	May 3
2007	May 23
2008	May 2
2009	May 20
2010	May 22
2011	Jun 4
2012	May 19

Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Frost-free days
1942	109
1943	122
1944	139
1945	134
1946	106
1947	91
1948	112
1949	75
1950	83
1951	62
1952	124
1953	141
1954	130
1955	117
1956	112
1957	126
1958	135
1959	104
1960	89
1961	112
1962	112
1963	111
1964	113
1965	106
1966	112
1967	141
1968	104
1969	93
1970	108
1971	128
1972	110
1973	76
1974	98
1975	132
1976	121
1977	122
1978	121
1979	144
1980	138
1981	139
1982	98
1983	115
1984	124
1985	117
1986	114
1987	141
1988	123
1989	112
1990	142
1991	153
1992	91
1993	138
1994	154
1995	135
1996	112
1997	120
1998	153
1999	131
2000	94
2001	141
2002	119
2003	119
2004	107
2005	136
2006	133
2007	117
2008	144
2009	131
2010	114
2011	125
2012	136

Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Growing-season temperature
1942	12.1 °C
1943	11.5 °C
1944	12.3 °C
1945	11.0 °C
1946	11.8 °C
1947	10.6 °C
1948	10.8 °C
1949	11.8 °C
1950	11.1 °C
1951	10.2 °C
1952	11.5 °C
1953	10.8 °C
1954	9.2 °C
1955	10.6 °C
1956	10.9 °C
1957	11.1 °C
1958	12.2 °C
1959	10.5 °C
1960	11.4 °C
1961	11.8 °C
1962	11.1 °C
1963	11.6 °C
1964	10.3 °C
1965	11.0 °C
1966	10.3 °C
1967	11.8 °C
1968	10.6 °C
1969	10.8 °C
1970	11.4 °C
1971	11.8 °C
1972	10.0 °C
1973	11.1 °C
1974	10.0 °C
1975	10.8 °C
1976	11.7 °C
1977	11.0 °C
1978	11.0 °C
1979	10.6 °C
1980	11.8 °C
1981	11.9 °C
1982	11.1 °C
1983	11.2 °C
1984	10.6 °C
1985	11.1 °C
1986	10.8 °C
1987	12.2 °C
1988	11.6 °C
1989	12.4 °C
1990	12.2 °C
1991	12.6 °C
1992	11.2 °C
1993	11.5 °C
1994	12.5 °C
1995	11.6 °C
1996	10.0 °C
1997	11.2 °C
1998	13.4 °C
1999	11.1 °C
2000	10.2 °C
2001	11.4 °C
2002	10.0 °C
2003	11.0 °C
2004	11.4 °C
2005	11.4 °C
2006	13.3 °C
2007	11.1 °C
2008	12.0 °C
2009	11.8 °C
2010	11.6 °C
2011	11.7 °C
2012	12.9 °C

What this means for you: Since 1942, Taylor's last spring frost has come about 1 day earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 3 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.

Source: daily records from Fort St John A (NOAA GHCN-Daily, from Environment and Climate Change Canada). Years with too many missing days are left out.

Nearby towns

Fort St. John Dawson Creek Chetwynd Tumbler Ridge Beaverlodge, AB Wembley, AB