When to plant in Yellowknife, NT
Planting dates worked out from Yellowknife's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Jun 5
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 23
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Sep 22
1 year in 10 by Sep 8
Frost-free days
122
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Yellowknife A · 3.6 km away · station 206 m, town 252 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 13 – Apr 27 | Jun 8 – Jun 22 | Aug 2 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 30 – Apr 13 | Jun 8 – Jun 22 | Aug 7 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Apr 15 – Apr 22 | May 20 – Jun 3 | Jun 29 |
| Peas | — | May 20 – Jun 17 | Jul 14 |
| Bush beans | — | Jun 5 – Jun 26 | Jul 25 |
| Carrot | — | May 26 – Jul 7 | Jul 25 |
| Beet | — | May 26 – Jul 7 | Jul 15 |
| Potato | — | May 26 – Jun 16 | Aug 4 |
| Kale | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | May 27 – Jun 10 | Jul 9 |
| Broccoli | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | May 20 – Jun 10 | Jul 19 |
| Cucumber | May 11 – May 18 | Jun 8 – Jun 22 | Jul 28 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | May 11 – May 18 | Jun 8 – Jun 22 | Jul 23 |
| Winter squash | May 11 – May 18 | Jun 8 – Jun 22 | Aug 27 |
| Sweet corn | — | Jun 5 – Jun 26 | Aug 4 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | May 20 – Jun 10 | Aug 18 |
| Garlic | — | Aug 24 – Sep 21 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | May 20 – Jun 17 | Jun 27 |
| Basil | Apr 27 – May 11 | Jun 8 – Jun 22 | Aug 4 |
Yellowknife'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 |
|---|---|
| 1943 | Jun 2 |
| 1944 | May 30 |
| 1945 | May 31 |
| 1946 | May 24 |
| 1947 | Jun 7 |
| 1948 | May 27 |
| 1949 | Jun 12 |
| 1950 | Jun 4 |
| 1951 | Jun 7 |
| 1952 | May 8 |
| 1953 | Jun 4 |
| 1954 | May 24 |
| 1955 | May 14 |
| 1956 | May 30 |
| 1957 | Jun 12 |
| 1958 | Jun 9 |
| 1959 | Jun 3 |
| 1960 | May 27 |
| 1961 | May 17 |
| 1962 | May 29 |
| 1963 | May 30 |
| 1964 | May 26 |
| 1965 | Jun 7 |
| 1966 | May 6 |
| 1967 | Jun 9 |
| 1968 | May 29 |
| 1969 | Jun 12 |
| 1970 | May 21 |
| 1971 | May 17 |
| 1972 | Jun 2 |
| 1973 | May 1 |
| 1974 | Jun 1 |
| 1975 | May 26 |
| 1976 | May 19 |
| 1977 | May 15 |
| 1978 | May 23 |
| 1979 | May 30 |
| 1980 | May 31 |
| 1981 | May 15 |
| 1982 | May 18 |
| 1983 | May 28 |
| 1984 | May 23 |
| 1985 | May 28 |
| 1986 | Jun 3 |
| 1987 | May 26 |
| 1988 | May 29 |
| 1989 | May 31 |
| 1990 | May 21 |
| 1991 | May 30 |
| 1992 | May 23 |
| 1994 | May 19 |
| 1995 | May 25 |
| 1996 | May 19 |
| 1997 | May 27 |
| 1998 | May 5 |
| 1999 | May 16 |
| 2000 | Jun 5 |
| 2001 | May 22 |
| 2002 | May 30 |
| 2003 | Jun 12 |
| 2004 | May 30 |
| 2005 | May 27 |
| 2006 | May 2 |
| 2007 | May 28 |
| 2008 | May 12 |
| 2009 | Jun 5 |
| 2010 | May 23 |
| 2011 | May 7 |
| 2012 | May 14 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1943 | 112 |
| 1944 | 120 |
| 1945 | 115 |
| 1946 | 106 |
| 1947 | 100 |
| 1948 | 119 |
| 1949 | 112 |
| 1950 | 116 |
| 1951 | 106 |
| 1952 | 122 |
| 1953 | 117 |
| 1954 | 113 |
| 1955 | 116 |
| 1956 | 96 |
| 1957 | 95 |
| 1958 | 109 |
| 1959 | 97 |
| 1960 | 111 |
| 1961 | 114 |
| 1962 | 96 |
| 1963 | 107 |
| 1964 | 101 |
| 1965 | 86 |
| 1966 | 142 |
| 1967 | 86 |
| 1968 | 117 |
| 1969 | 93 |
| 1970 | 111 |
| 1971 | 124 |
| 1972 | 91 |
| 1973 | 147 |
| 1974 | 114 |
| 1975 | 122 |
| 1976 | 134 |
| 1977 | 141 |
| 1978 | 126 |
| 1979 | 112 |
| 1980 | 99 |
| 1981 | 109 |
| 1982 | 97 |
| 1983 | 112 |
| 1984 | 120 |
| 1985 | 98 |
| 1986 | 117 |
| 1987 | 131 |
| 1988 | 109 |
| 1989 | 110 |
| 1990 | 106 |
| 1991 | 98 |
| 1992 | 104 |
| 1994 | 132 |
| 1995 | 115 |
| 1996 | 130 |
| 1997 | 128 |
| 1998 | 143 |
| 1999 | 132 |
| 2000 | 106 |
| 2001 | 133 |
| 2002 | 114 |
| 2003 | 103 |
| 2004 | 100 |
| 2005 | 108 |
| 2006 | 152 |
| 2007 | 106 |
| 2008 | 126 |
| 2009 | 122 |
| 2010 | 115 |
| 2011 | 143 |
| 2012 | 146 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1943 | 7.7 °C |
| 1944 | 9.0 °C |
| 1945 | 6.2 °C |
| 1946 | 8.0 °C |
| 1947 | 5.4 °C |
| 1948 | 7.4 °C |
| 1949 | 7.9 °C |
| 1950 | 7.4 °C |
| 1951 | 7.8 °C |
| 1952 | 8.5 °C |
| 1953 | 8.6 °C |
| 1954 | 7.1 °C |
| 1955 | 8.7 °C |
| 1956 | 7.1 °C |
| 1957 | 7.4 °C |
| 1958 | 8.3 °C |
| 1959 | 5.6 °C |
| 1960 | 8.6 °C |
| 1961 | 7.2 °C |
| 1962 | 7.5 °C |
| 1963 | 8.8 °C |
| 1964 | 7.7 °C |
| 1965 | 7.8 °C |
| 1966 | 7.8 °C |
| 1967 | 6.8 °C |
| 1968 | 6.4 °C |
| 1969 | 7.2 °C |
| 1970 | 8.5 °C |
| 1971 | 9.5 °C |
| 1972 | 7.0 °C |
| 1973 | 10.4 °C |
| 1974 | 7.4 °C |
| 1975 | 10.1 °C |
| 1976 | 10.8 °C |
| 1977 | 9.1 °C |
| 1978 | 7.0 °C |
| 1979 | 7.5 °C |
| 1980 | 9.5 °C |
| 1981 | 8.7 °C |
| 1982 | 7.6 °C |
| 1983 | 7.3 °C |
| 1984 | 9.9 °C |
| 1985 | 7.2 °C |
| 1986 | 7.9 °C |
| 1987 | 8.9 °C |
| 1988 | 7.9 °C |
| 1989 | 9.0 °C |
| 1990 | 8.2 °C |
| 1991 | 9.2 °C |
| 1992 | 6.7 °C |
| 1994 | 9.9 °C |
| 1995 | 8.3 °C |
| 1996 | 9.0 °C |
| 1997 | 9.1 °C |
| 1998 | 11.5 °C |
| 1999 | 8.8 °C |
| 2000 | 8.4 °C |
| 2001 | 9.3 °C |
| 2002 | 6.5 °C |
| 2003 | 9.3 °C |
| 2004 | 6.2 °C |
| 2005 | 8.0 °C |
| 2006 | 10.8 °C |
| 2007 | 8.7 °C |
| 2008 | 8.7 °C |
| 2009 | 8.2 °C |
| 2010 | 10.4 °C |
| 2011 | 9.3 °C |
| 2012 | 10.8 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1943, Yellowknife's last spring frost has come about 1 day earlier per decade, on average. 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 Yellowknife A (NOAA GHCN-Daily, from Environment and Climate Change Canada). Years with too many missing days are left out.