When to plant in West End, BC
Planting dates worked out from West End's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 24
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 11
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 28
1 year in 10 by Oct 14
Frost-free days
195
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Richmond Nature Park · 12.1 km away · station 3 m, town 4 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 7 – Mar 21 | May 2 – May 16 | Jun 26 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 21 – Mar 7 | May 2 – May 16 | Jul 1 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 7 – Feb 14 | Mar 14 – Mar 28 | Apr 23 |
| Peas | — | Mar 4 – Apr 1 | Apr 28 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 25 – May 16 | Jun 14 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 26 – May 7 | May 25 |
| Beet | — | Mar 26 – May 7 | May 15 |
| Potato | — | Mar 26 – Apr 16 | Jun 4 |
| Kale | Jan 31 – Feb 14 | Mar 14 – Mar 28 | Apr 26 |
| Broccoli | Jan 31 – Feb 14 | Mar 14 – Apr 4 | May 13 |
| Cucumber | Apr 4 – Apr 11 | May 2 – May 16 | Jun 21 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 4 – Apr 11 | May 2 – May 16 | Jun 16 |
| Winter squash | Apr 4 – Apr 11 | May 2 – May 16 | Jul 21 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 25 – May 16 | Jun 24 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 14 – Apr 4 | Jun 12 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 5 – Nov 2 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 4 – Apr 1 | Apr 11 |
| Basil | Mar 21 – Apr 4 | May 2 – May 16 | Jun 28 |
West End'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 |
|---|---|
| 1978 | May 5 |
| 1979 | Apr 22 |
| 1980 | Apr 16 |
| 1981 | Apr 14 |
| 1982 | Apr 25 |
| 1983 | Apr 14 |
| 1984 | Apr 25 |
| 1985 | Apr 30 |
| 1986 | Apr 30 |
| 1987 | Mar 30 |
| 1988 | Apr 9 |
| 1989 | Mar 24 |
| 1990 | Mar 27 |
| 1991 | Apr 12 |
| 1992 | Apr 8 |
| 1993 | Mar 28 |
| 1994 | Mar 26 |
| 1995 | Apr 16 |
| 1996 | Mar 30 |
| 1997 | Apr 6 |
| 1998 | Apr 13 |
| 2000 | Mar 29 |
| 2001 | Apr 15 |
| 2002 | Apr 23 |
| 2003 | Mar 24 |
| 2004 | Apr 2 |
| 2005 | Apr 9 |
| 2006 | Apr 22 |
| 2007 | Apr 21 |
| 2008 | Apr 26 |
| 2010 | May 5 |
| 2011 | Apr 23 |
| 2012 | Apr 8 |
| 2013 | Apr 22 |
| 2014 | Apr 13 |
| 2015 | Apr 5 |
| 2017 | Apr 3 |
| 2018 | Apr 2 |
| 2019 | Apr 28 |
| 2021 | Apr 14 |
| 2022 | Apr 16 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1978 | 168 |
| 1979 | 191 |
| 1980 | 182 |
| 1981 | 179 |
| 1982 | 175 |
| 1983 | 179 |
| 1984 | 173 |
| 1985 | 160 |
| 1986 | 190 |
| 1987 | 205 |
| 1988 | 200 |
| 1989 | 218 |
| 1990 | 223 |
| 1991 | 193 |
| 1992 | 189 |
| 1993 | 223 |
| 1994 | 230 |
| 1995 | 194 |
| 1996 | 209 |
| 1997 | 196 |
| 1998 | 217 |
| 2000 | 225 |
| 2001 | 208 |
| 2002 | 189 |
| 2003 | 220 |
| 2004 | 228 |
| 2006 | 190 |
| 2007 | 187 |
| 2010 | 163 |
| 2011 | 174 |
| 2012 | 196 |
| 2013 | 189 |
| 2017 | 209 |
| 2018 | 194 |
| 2019 | 163 |
| 2022 | 198 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1977 | 13.9 °C |
| 1978 | 14.2 °C |
| 1979 | 14.6 °C |
| 1980 | 14.1 °C |
| 1981 | 14.5 °C |
| 1982 | 14.3 °C |
| 1983 | 14.6 °C |
| 1984 | 13.9 °C |
| 1985 | 14.4 °C |
| 1986 | 14.6 °C |
| 1987 | 15.4 °C |
| 1988 | 14.9 °C |
| 1989 | 15.3 °C |
| 1990 | 15.9 °C |
| 1991 | 14.8 °C |
| 1992 | 15.7 °C |
| 1993 | 15.2 °C |
| 1994 | 15.7 °C |
| 1995 | 15.7 °C |
| 1996 | 15.1 °C |
| 1997 | 15.8 °C |
| 2000 | 15.0 °C |
| 2001 | 14.4 °C |
| 2002 | 14.9 °C |
| 2003 | 15.5 °C |
| 2004 | 16.1 °C |
| 2005 | 15.4 °C |
| 2006 | 15.3 °C |
| 2007 | 14.9 °C |
| 2010 | 14.8 °C |
| 2011 | 14.3 °C |
| 2012 | 14.8 °C |
| 2013 | 15.7 °C |
| 2015 | 16.2 °C |
| 2016 | 16.6 °C |
| 2017 | 16.1 °C |
| 2018 | 16.2 °C |
| 2019 | 16.0 °C |
| 2021 | 16.1 °C |
| 2022 | 15.8 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1978, West End's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. The frost-free season has grown by about 2 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Richmond Nature Park (NOAA GHCN-Daily, from Environment and Climate Change Canada). Years with too many missing days are left out.