When to plant in Inverness, NS
Planting dates worked out from Inverness's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Jun 2
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 21
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 30
1 year in 10 by Oct 15
Frost-free days
166
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Cheticamp Cs · 53.1 km away · station 44 m, town 48 m. How we match towns to stations
The nearest reliable station is 53 km away, so frost dates here may be off by a week or more. Check them against local experience.
This season
Plan your garden.
Planting dates for common crops
| Crop | Start indoors | Plant out or sow | Harvest from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | Jun 3 – Jun 17 | Jul 28 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 25 – Apr 8 | Jun 3 – Jun 17 | Aug 2 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 25 – Apr 1 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 8 |
| Peas | — | Apr 29 – May 27 | Jun 23 |
| Bush beans | — | May 28 – Jun 18 | Jul 17 |
| Carrot | — | May 9 – Jun 20 | Jul 8 |
| Beet | — | May 9 – Jun 20 | Jun 28 |
| Potato | — | May 9 – May 30 | Jul 18 |
| Kale | Mar 25 – Apr 8 | May 6 – May 20 | Jun 18 |
| Broccoli | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | Apr 29 – May 20 | Jun 28 |
| Cucumber | May 6 – May 13 | Jun 3 – Jun 17 | Jul 23 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | May 6 – May 13 | Jun 3 – Jun 17 | Jul 18 |
| Winter squash | May 6 – May 13 | Jun 3 – Jun 17 | Aug 22 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 28 – Jun 18 | Jul 27 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 29 – May 20 | Jul 28 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 1 – Oct 29 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 29 – May 27 | Jun 6 |
| Basil | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jun 3 – Jun 17 | Jul 30 |
Inverness'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 |
|---|---|
| 1999 | May 15 |
| 2000 | Jun 12 |
| 2001 | May 25 |
| 2003 | May 16 |
| 2004 | May 22 |
| 2005 | May 14 |
| 2006 | May 1 |
| 2007 | May 24 |
| 2008 | May 14 |
| 2010 | Apr 25 |
| 2012 | May 29 |
| 2013 | May 29 |
| 2014 | May 14 |
| 2015 | May 14 |
| 2016 | Jun 2 |
| 2017 | May 30 |
| 2018 | Jun 3 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 166 |
| 2000 | 126 |
| 2001 | 159 |
| 2003 | 172 |
| 2004 | 171 |
| 2005 | 174 |
| 2006 | 189 |
| 2008 | 157 |
| 2010 | 199 |
| 2012 | 173 |
| 2013 | 153 |
| 2014 | 180 |
| 2015 | 160 |
| 2016 | 134 |
| 2017 | 144 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 14.7 °C |
| 2000 | 12.8 °C |
| 2001 | 13.6 °C |
| 2002 | 13.2 °C |
| 2003 | 13.5 °C |
| 2004 | 13.2 °C |
| 2005 | 14.3 °C |
| 2006 | 14.9 °C |
| 2008 | 13.8 °C |
| 2009 | 13.4 °C |
| 2010 | 14.0 °C |
| 2012 | 14.7 °C |
| 2013 | 13.8 °C |
| 2014 | 13.4 °C |
| 2015 | 12.6 °C |
| 2016 | 12.7 °C |
| 2017 | 13.2 °C |
| 2018 | 12.6 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Cheticamp Cs (NOAA GHCN-Daily, from Environment and Climate Change Canada). Years with too many missing days are left out.