When to plant in Victoria, BC
Planting dates worked out from Victoria's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Mar 13
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 11
1 year in 10 by Nov 20
Frost-free days
295
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Victoria Gonzales Cs · 3.2 km away · station 61 m, town 18 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 14 – Mar 28 | May 9 – May 23 | Jul 3 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 28 – Mar 14 | May 9 – May 23 | Jul 8 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Dec 27 – Jan 3 | Jan 31 – Feb 14 | Mar 12 |
| Peas | — | Jan 31 – Feb 28 | Mar 27 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 28 – May 19 | Jun 17 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 22 – May 3 | May 21 |
| Beet | — | Mar 22 – May 3 | May 11 |
| Potato | — | Mar 22 – Apr 12 | May 31 |
| Kale | Dec 27 – Jan 10 | Feb 7 – Feb 21 | Mar 22 |
| Broccoli | Dec 20 – Jan 3 | Jan 31 – Feb 21 | Apr 1 |
| Cucumber | Apr 11 – Apr 18 | May 9 – May 23 | Jun 28 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 11 – Apr 18 | May 9 – May 23 | Jun 23 |
| Winter squash | Apr 11 – Apr 18 | May 9 – May 23 | Jul 28 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 28 – May 19 | Jun 27 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Jan 31 – Feb 21 | May 1 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 12 – Nov 9 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Jan 31 – Feb 28 | Mar 10 |
| Basil | Mar 28 – Apr 11 | May 9 – May 23 | Jul 5 |
Victoria'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 |
|---|---|
| 1973 | Feb 4 |
| 1995 | Mar 5 |
| 1996 | Feb 27 |
| 1997 | Jan 27 |
| 1998 | Jan 13 |
| 2001 | Feb 16 |
| 2002 | Mar 21 |
| 2004 | Jan 6 |
| 2005 | Jan 15 |
| 2006 | Mar 10 |
| 2007 | Mar 1 |
| 2008 | Apr 1 |
| 2009 | Mar 12 |
| 2011 | Feb 26 |
| 2012 | Feb 27 |
| 2013 | Jan 13 |
| 2014 | Feb 24 |
| 2016 | Jan 3 |
| 2017 | Feb 28 |
| 2018 | Feb 26 |
| 2019 | Mar 5 |
| 2020 | Mar 15 |
| 2021 | Feb 14 |
| 2022 | Feb 25 |
| 2023 | Feb 28 |
| 2024 | Mar 5 |
| 2025 | Feb 13 |
| 2026 | Feb 20 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1973 | 273 |
| 1995 | 274 |
| 1996 | 262 |
| 1997 | 337 |
| 1998 | 339 |
| 1999 | 363 |
| 2000 | 342 |
| 2001 | 317 |
| 2002 | 284 |
| 2004 | 358 |
| 2005 | 349 |
| 2006 | 260 |
| 2007 | 274 |
| 2008 | 255 |
| 2009 | 268 |
| 2010 | 321 |
| 2011 | 264 |
| 2012 | 306 |
| 2013 | 311 |
| 2014 | 277 |
| 2015 | 331 |
| 2016 | 336 |
| 2017 | 295 |
| 2018 | 282 |
| 2019 | 268 |
| 2020 | 290 |
| 2021 | 312 |
| 2022 | 254 |
| 2023 | 305 |
| 2024 | 300 |
| 2025 | 320 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1973 | 13.4 °C |
| 1995 | 14.8 °C |
| 1996 | 14.1 °C |
| 1997 | 14.8 °C |
| 1998 | 14.6 °C |
| 1999 | 13.5 °C |
| 2000 | 13.9 °C |
| 2001 | 13.5 °C |
| 2002 | 13.9 °C |
| 2003 | 14.5 °C |
| 2004 | 15.0 °C |
| 2005 | 14.6 °C |
| 2006 | 14.5 °C |
| 2007 | 13.8 °C |
| 2008 | 13.6 °C |
| 2009 | 13.8 °C |
| 2010 | 13.0 °C |
| 2011 | 12.8 °C |
| 2012 | 13.3 °C |
| 2013 | 13.7 °C |
| 2014 | 14.7 °C |
| 2015 | 14.7 °C |
| 2016 | 14.9 °C |
| 2017 | 14.4 °C |
| 2018 | 14.3 °C |
| 2019 | 14.4 °C |
| 2020 | 14.2 °C |
| 2021 | 14.3 °C |
| 2022 | 14.0 °C |
| 2023 | 14.5 °C |
| 2024 | 14.0 °C |
| 2025 | 14.4 °C |
| 2026 | 14.7 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Victoria Gonzales Cs (NOAA GHCN-Daily, from Environment and Climate Change Canada). Years with too many missing days are left out.