When to plant in Youbou, BC
Planting dates worked out from Youbou's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 9
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 21
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 1
1 year in 10 by Oct 19
Frost-free days
195
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Cowichan Lake Forestry · 6.9 km away · station 177 m, town 183 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 22 – Apr 5 | May 17 – May 31 | Jul 11 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | May 17 – May 31 | Jul 16 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 17 – Feb 24 | Mar 24 – Apr 7 | May 3 |
| Peas | — | Mar 22 – Apr 19 | May 16 |
| Bush beans | — | May 9 – May 30 | Jun 28 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 14 – May 26 | Jun 13 |
| Beet | — | Apr 14 – May 26 | Jun 3 |
| Potato | — | Apr 14 – May 5 | Jun 23 |
| Kale | Feb 15 – Mar 1 | Mar 29 – Apr 12 | May 11 |
| Broccoli | Feb 10 – Feb 24 | Mar 24 – Apr 14 | May 23 |
| Cucumber | Apr 19 – Apr 26 | May 17 – May 31 | Jul 6 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 19 – Apr 26 | May 17 – May 31 | Jul 1 |
| Winter squash | Apr 19 – Apr 26 | May 17 – May 31 | Aug 5 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 9 – May 30 | Jul 8 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 24 – Apr 14 | Jun 22 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 3 – Oct 31 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 22 – Apr 19 | Apr 29 |
| Basil | Apr 5 – Apr 19 | May 17 – May 31 | Jul 13 |
Youbou'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 |
|---|---|
| 1950 | May 30 |
| 1951 | May 3 |
| 1952 | May 7 |
| 1953 | May 31 |
| 1954 | May 2 |
| 1955 | May 23 |
| 1956 | May 12 |
| 1957 | Apr 24 |
| 1958 | May 13 |
| 1959 | Apr 25 |
| 1960 | Apr 16 |
| 1961 | Apr 20 |
| 1962 | May 7 |
| 1963 | Apr 2 |
| 1964 | May 14 |
| 1965 | May 6 |
| 1966 | May 27 |
| 1967 | Apr 26 |
| 1968 | Apr 22 |
| 1969 | Apr 25 |
| 1970 | Apr 28 |
| 1971 | Apr 23 |
| 1972 | Apr 29 |
| 1973 | May 27 |
| 1974 | Apr 14 |
| 1975 | May 24 |
| 1976 | Apr 26 |
| 1977 | May 29 |
| 1978 | May 23 |
| 1979 | Apr 22 |
| 1980 | Apr 21 |
| 1981 | Apr 26 |
| 1982 | Apr 25 |
| 1983 | Apr 14 |
| 1984 | Apr 26 |
| 1985 | May 12 |
| 1986 | Apr 30 |
| 1987 | May 15 |
| 1988 | Apr 10 |
| 1989 | Apr 9 |
| 1990 | Apr 4 |
| 1991 | Apr 12 |
| 1992 | Apr 23 |
| 1993 | Apr 4 |
| 1994 | Mar 25 |
| 1995 | Apr 16 |
| 1996 | May 9 |
| 1997 | Apr 7 |
| 1998 | Apr 20 |
| 1999 | May 14 |
| 2000 | Apr 24 |
| 2001 | Apr 15 |
| 2003 | May 6 |
| 2004 | Apr 3 |
| 2005 | Apr 9 |
| 2006 | May 2 |
| 2007 | Apr 21 |
| 2008 | Apr 26 |
| 2009 | Apr 24 |
| 2010 | Apr 11 |
| 2011 | May 1 |
| 2012 | May 10 |
| 2013 | May 1 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 121 |
| 1951 | 165 |
| 1952 | 159 |
| 1953 | 142 |
| 1954 | 150 |
| 1955 | 160 |
| 1956 | 163 |
| 1957 | 165 |
| 1958 | 177 |
| 1959 | 186 |
| 1960 | 200 |
| 1961 | 183 |
| 1962 | 199 |
| 1963 | 230 |
| 1964 | 165 |
| 1965 | 199 |
| 1966 | 138 |
| 1967 | 190 |
| 1968 | 192 |
| 1969 | 171 |
| 1970 | 180 |
| 1971 | 175 |
| 1972 | 150 |
| 1973 | 157 |
| 1974 | 197 |
| 1975 | 150 |
| 1976 | 174 |
| 1977 | 127 |
| 1978 | 159 |
| 1979 | 191 |
| 1980 | 204 |
| 1981 | 177 |
| 1982 | 176 |
| 1983 | 228 |
| 1984 | 173 |
| 1985 | 168 |
| 1986 | 190 |
| 1987 | 185 |
| 1988 | 199 |
| 1989 | 189 |
| 1990 | 229 |
| 1991 | 193 |
| 1992 | 173 |
| 1993 | 219 |
| 1994 | 221 |
| 1995 | 195 |
| 1996 | 163 |
| 1997 | 216 |
| 1998 | 201 |
| 1999 | 165 |
| 2000 | 198 |
| 2001 | 208 |
| 2003 | 177 |
| 2004 | 222 |
| 2005 | 211 |
| 2006 | 180 |
| 2007 | 187 |
| 2008 | 167 |
| 2010 | 220 |
| 2013 | 180 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1949 | 13.6 °C |
| 1950 | 13.3 °C |
| 1951 | 14.3 °C |
| 1952 | 13.5 °C |
| 1953 | 13.0 °C |
| 1954 | 12.0 °C |
| 1955 | 11.9 °C |
| 1956 | 13.6 °C |
| 1957 | 13.7 °C |
| 1958 | 15.6 °C |
| 1959 | 13.1 °C |
| 1960 | 13.4 °C |
| 1961 | 14.7 °C |
| 1962 | 13.2 °C |
| 1963 | 14.1 °C |
| 1964 | 12.8 °C |
| 1965 | 14.0 °C |
| 1966 | 14.0 °C |
| 1967 | 15.7 °C |
| 1968 | 14.3 °C |
| 1969 | 14.6 °C |
| 1970 | 14.2 °C |
| 1971 | 14.0 °C |
| 1972 | 14.1 °C |
| 1973 | 14.1 °C |
| 1974 | 13.7 °C |
| 1975 | 13.1 °C |
| 1976 | 12.8 °C |
| 1977 | 13.7 °C |
| 1978 | 13.9 °C |
| 1979 | 14.4 °C |
| 1980 | 13.7 °C |
| 1981 | 13.8 °C |
| 1982 | 14.0 °C |
| 1983 | 13.9 °C |
| 1984 | 13.0 °C |
| 1985 | 13.8 °C |
| 1986 | 13.9 °C |
| 1987 | 14.7 °C |
| 1988 | 13.7 °C |
| 1989 | 14.3 °C |
| 1990 | 15.1 °C |
| 1991 | 14.2 °C |
| 1992 | 15.3 °C |
| 1993 | 14.5 °C |
| 1994 | 15.0 °C |
| 1995 | 15.0 °C |
| 1996 | 13.9 °C |
| 1997 | 14.4 °C |
| 1998 | 15.7 °C |
| 1999 | 13.7 °C |
| 2000 | 14.1 °C |
| 2001 | 13.7 °C |
| 2003 | 15.0 °C |
| 2004 | 15.7 °C |
| 2005 | 14.9 °C |
| 2006 | 14.9 °C |
| 2007 | 13.9 °C |
| 2008 | 13.7 °C |
| 2010 | 13.9 °C |
| 2011 | 13.3 °C |
| 2012 | 13.7 °C |
| 2013 | 14.7 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1950, Youbou's last spring frost has come about 3 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 6 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Cowichan Lake Forestry (NOAA GHCN-Daily, from Environment and Climate Change Canada). Years with too many missing days are left out.