When to plant in Hay River, NT
Planting dates worked out from Hay River'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 29
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Sep 15
1 year in 10 by Sep 2
Frost-free days
109
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Hay River Climate · 2.9 km away · station 164 m, town 152 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 17 – May 1 | Jun 12 – Jun 26 | Aug 6 |
| Sweet pepper | Apr 3 – Apr 17 | Jun 12 – Jun 26 | Aug 11 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Apr 12 – Apr 19 | May 17 – May 31 | Jun 26 |
| Peas | — | May 17 – Jun 14 | Jul 11 |
| Bush beans | — | Jun 8 – Jun 29 | Jul 28 |
| Carrot | — | May 26 – Jul 7 | Jul 25 |
| Beet | — | May 26 – Jul 7 | Jul 15 |
| Potato | — | May 26 – Jun 16 | Aug 4 |
| Kale | Apr 12 – Apr 26 | May 24 – Jun 7 | Jul 6 |
| Broccoli | Apr 5 – Apr 19 | May 17 – Jun 7 | Jul 16 |
| Cucumber | May 15 – May 22 | Jun 12 – Jun 26 | Aug 1 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | May 15 – May 22 | Jun 12 – Jun 26 | Jul 27 |
| Winter squash | May 15 – May 22 | Jun 12 – Jun 26 | Aug 31 |
| Sweet corn | — | Jun 8 – Jun 29 | Aug 7 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | May 17 – Jun 7 | Aug 15 |
| Garlic | — | Aug 28 – Sep 25 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | May 17 – Jun 14 | Jun 24 |
| Basil | May 1 – May 15 | Jun 12 – Jun 26 | Aug 8 |
Hay River'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 |
|---|---|
| 2004 | Jun 16 |
| 2005 | May 26 |
| 2006 | May 9 |
| 2007 | May 28 |
| 2008 | May 25 |
| 2009 | Jun 6 |
| 2010 | May 26 |
| 2011 | Jun 4 |
| 2012 | May 20 |
| 2013 | May 31 |
| 2014 | Jun 8 |
| 2015 | Jun 2 |
| 2016 | May 20 |
| 2017 | May 17 |
| 2018 | May 31 |
| 2019 | Jun 10 |
| 2020 | May 30 |
| 2021 | May 26 |
| 2022 | May 23 |
| 2023 | Apr 29 |
| 2024 | May 17 |
| 2025 | May 16 |
| 2026 | Jun 7 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 2004 | 73 |
| 2005 | 110 |
| 2006 | 129 |
| 2007 | 88 |
| 2008 | 116 |
| 2009 | 116 |
| 2010 | 113 |
| 2011 | 100 |
| 2012 | 133 |
| 2013 | 109 |
| 2014 | 93 |
| 2015 | 103 |
| 2016 | 131 |
| 2017 | 119 |
| 2018 | 95 |
| 2019 | 107 |
| 2020 | 106 |
| 2021 | 122 |
| 2022 | 128 |
| 2023 | 156 |
| 2024 | 126 |
| 2025 | 137 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 2004 | 7.2 °C |
| 2005 | 8.7 °C |
| 2006 | 11.0 °C |
| 2007 | 8.9 °C |
| 2008 | 9.0 °C |
| 2009 | 8.7 °C |
| 2010 | 10.1 °C |
| 2011 | 9.3 °C |
| 2012 | 11.0 °C |
| 2013 | 9.7 °C |
| 2014 | 9.7 °C |
| 2015 | 10.7 °C |
| 2016 | 10.4 °C |
| 2017 | 10.9 °C |
| 2019 | 9.1 °C |
| 2020 | 8.2 °C |
| 2021 | 9.7 °C |
| 2022 | 10.4 °C |
| 2023 | 13.0 °C |
| 2024 | 11.2 °C |
| 2025 | 11.5 °C |
| 2026 | 9.9 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Hay River Climate (NOAA GHCN-Daily, from Environment and Climate Change Canada). Years with too many missing days are left out.