When to plant in Gander, NL
Planting dates worked out from Gander's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Jun 9
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 30
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 20
1 year in 10 by Oct 7
Frost-free days
138
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Gander Int'l A · 3.1 km away · station 151 m, town 136 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 | Apr 23 – May 7 | Jun 18 – Jul 2 | Aug 12 |
| Sweet pepper | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | Jun 18 – Jul 2 | Aug 17 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Apr 7 – Apr 14 | May 12 – May 26 | Jun 21 |
| Peas | — | May 12 – Jun 9 | Jul 6 |
| Bush beans | — | Jun 13 – Jul 4 | Aug 2 |
| Carrot | — | May 27 – Jul 8 | Jul 26 |
| Beet | — | May 27 – Jul 8 | Jul 16 |
| Potato | — | May 27 – Jun 17 | Aug 5 |
| Kale | Apr 7 – Apr 21 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Jul 1 |
| Broccoli | Mar 31 – Apr 14 | May 12 – Jun 2 | Jul 11 |
| Cucumber | May 21 – May 28 | Jun 18 – Jul 2 | Aug 7 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | May 21 – May 28 | Jun 18 – Jul 2 | Aug 2 |
| Winter squash | May 21 – May 28 | Jun 18 – Jul 2 | Sep 6 |
| Sweet corn | — | Jun 13 – Jul 4 | Aug 12 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | May 12 – Jun 2 | Aug 10 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 15 – Oct 13 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | May 12 – Jun 9 | Jun 19 |
| Basil | May 7 – May 21 | Jun 18 – Jul 2 | Aug 14 |
Gander'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 |
|---|---|
| 1937 | May 15 |
| 1938 | May 30 |
| 1939 | Jun 7 |
| 1940 | May 31 |
| 1941 | Jun 13 |
| 1942 | Jun 11 |
| 1943 | Jun 4 |
| 1944 | Jun 20 |
| 1945 | Jun 7 |
| 1946 | May 19 |
| 1947 | Jun 5 |
| 1948 | May 17 |
| 1949 | May 26 |
| 1950 | May 25 |
| 1951 | May 29 |
| 1952 | May 25 |
| 1953 | May 29 |
| 1954 | Jun 16 |
| 1955 | May 27 |
| 1956 | Jun 9 |
| 1957 | Jun 22 |
| 1958 | Jun 5 |
| 1959 | Jun 9 |
| 1960 | May 24 |
| 1961 | May 20 |
| 1962 | Jun 5 |
| 1963 | Jun 10 |
| 1964 | Jun 5 |
| 1965 | Jun 3 |
| 1966 | May 25 |
| 1967 | Jun 15 |
| 1968 | Jun 12 |
| 1969 | Jun 3 |
| 1970 | Jun 6 |
| 1971 | May 16 |
| 1972 | May 26 |
| 1973 | Jun 17 |
| 1974 | Jun 9 |
| 1975 | Jun 22 |
| 1976 | Jun 14 |
| 1977 | May 21 |
| 1978 | Jun 2 |
| 1979 | May 7 |
| 1980 | May 21 |
| 1981 | May 20 |
| 1982 | May 30 |
| 1983 | Jun 17 |
| 1984 | Jun 16 |
| 1985 | May 31 |
| 1986 | May 26 |
| 1987 | May 27 |
| 1988 | Jun 3 |
| 1989 | Jun 11 |
| 1990 | May 26 |
| 1991 | Jun 9 |
| 1992 | Jun 5 |
| 1993 | Jun 6 |
| 1994 | Jun 5 |
| 1995 | Jun 1 |
| 1996 | Jun 3 |
| 1997 | Jun 7 |
| 1998 | May 17 |
| 1999 | Jun 9 |
| 2000 | May 30 |
| 2001 | May 27 |
| 2002 | Jun 13 |
| 2003 | Jun 17 |
| 2004 | May 26 |
| 2005 | May 23 |
| 2006 | May 1 |
| 2007 | Jun 3 |
| 2008 | May 15 |
| 2009 | May 26 |
| 2010 | May 24 |
| 2011 | May 23 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1937 | 102 |
| 1938 | 129 |
| 1939 | 132 |
| 1940 | 137 |
| 1941 | 108 |
| 1942 | 126 |
| 1943 | 127 |
| 1944 | 110 |
| 1945 | 115 |
| 1946 | 141 |
| 1947 | 106 |
| 1948 | 137 |
| 1949 | 129 |
| 1950 | 123 |
| 1951 | 127 |
| 1952 | 138 |
| 1953 | 123 |
| 1954 | 112 |
| 1955 | 131 |
| 1956 | 124 |
| 1957 | 113 |
| 1958 | 130 |
| 1959 | 115 |
| 1960 | 144 |
| 1961 | 143 |
| 1962 | 114 |
| 1963 | 120 |
| 1964 | 117 |
| 1965 | 118 |
| 1966 | 110 |
| 1967 | 111 |
| 1968 | 124 |
| 1969 | 124 |
| 1970 | 107 |
| 1971 | 140 |
| 1972 | 124 |
| 1973 | 124 |
| 1974 | 122 |
| 1975 | 104 |
| 1976 | 119 |
| 1977 | 146 |
| 1978 | 136 |
| 1979 | 157 |
| 1980 | 143 |
| 1981 | 145 |
| 1982 | 121 |
| 1983 | 115 |
| 1984 | 110 |
| 1985 | 132 |
| 1986 | 117 |
| 1987 | 137 |
| 1988 | 125 |
| 1989 | 107 |
| 1990 | 137 |
| 1991 | 133 |
| 1992 | 137 |
| 1993 | 121 |
| 1994 | 153 |
| 1995 | 148 |
| 1996 | 137 |
| 1997 | 133 |
| 1998 | 160 |
| 1999 | 121 |
| 2000 | 138 |
| 2001 | 148 |
| 2002 | 112 |
| 2003 | 138 |
| 2004 | 155 |
| 2005 | 157 |
| 2006 | 179 |
| 2007 | 130 |
| 2008 | 148 |
| 2009 | 140 |
| 2010 | 154 |
| 2011 | 136 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1937 | 12.0 °C |
| 1938 | 11.7 °C |
| 1939 | 9.5 °C |
| 1940 | 10.9 °C |
| 1941 | 9.4 °C |
| 1942 | 11.4 °C |
| 1943 | 9.9 °C |
| 1944 | 10.7 °C |
| 1945 | 10.7 °C |
| 1946 | 11.6 °C |
| 1947 | 10.5 °C |
| 1948 | 10.1 °C |
| 1949 | 10.4 °C |
| 1950 | 10.6 °C |
| 1951 | 11.8 °C |
| 1952 | 11.7 °C |
| 1953 | 11.3 °C |
| 1954 | 10.4 °C |
| 1955 | 10.1 °C |
| 1956 | 10.3 °C |
| 1957 | 10.0 °C |
| 1958 | 11.3 °C |
| 1959 | 10.2 °C |
| 1960 | 11.4 °C |
| 1961 | 11.5 °C |
| 1962 | 9.2 °C |
| 1963 | 9.7 °C |
| 1964 | 9.6 °C |
| 1965 | 9.9 °C |
| 1966 | 10.5 °C |
| 1967 | 11.3 °C |
| 1968 | 8.8 °C |
| 1969 | 9.9 °C |
| 1970 | 10.2 °C |
| 1971 | 11.5 °C |
| 1972 | 9.8 °C |
| 1973 | 10.2 °C |
| 1974 | 9.1 °C |
| 1975 | 10.6 °C |
| 1976 | 11.1 °C |
| 1977 | 10.2 °C |
| 1978 | 10.1 °C |
| 1979 | 11.4 °C |
| 1980 | 9.3 °C |
| 1981 | 11.0 °C |
| 1982 | 9.9 °C |
| 1983 | 11.2 °C |
| 1984 | 10.6 °C |
| 1985 | 10.1 °C |
| 1986 | 10.4 °C |
| 1987 | 10.8 °C |
| 1988 | 10.8 °C |
| 1989 | 11.9 °C |
| 1990 | 10.9 °C |
| 1991 | 8.7 °C |
| 1992 | 9.4 °C |
| 1993 | 9.2 °C |
| 1994 | 10.4 °C |
| 1995 | 9.8 °C |
| 1996 | 10.8 °C |
| 1997 | 10.0 °C |
| 1998 | 11.5 °C |
| 1999 | 12.4 °C |
| 2000 | 11.4 °C |
| 2001 | 11.0 °C |
| 2002 | 10.8 °C |
| 2003 | 11.2 °C |
| 2004 | 10.9 °C |
| 2005 | 11.6 °C |
| 2006 | 12.2 °C |
| 2007 | 10.6 °C |
| 2008 | 11.3 °C |
| 2009 | 11.3 °C |
| 2010 | 11.4 °C |
| 2011 | 10.5 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1937, Gander's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. 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 Gander Int'l A (NOAA GHCN-Daily, from Environment and Climate Change Canada). Years with too many missing days are left out.