When to plant in Renfrew, ON
Planting dates worked out from Renfrew's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 31
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 20
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Sep 19
1 year in 10 by Sep 7
Frost-free days
122
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Charteris · 30.9 km away · station 168 m, town 128 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 5 – Apr 19 | May 31 – Jun 14 | Jul 25 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | May 31 – Jun 14 | Jul 30 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 18 – Mar 25 | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jun 1 |
| Peas | — | Apr 20 – May 18 | Jun 14 |
| Bush beans | — | May 24 – Jun 14 | Jul 13 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 29 – Jun 10 | Jun 28 |
| Beet | — | Apr 27 – Jun 8 | Jun 16 |
| Potato | — | Apr 29 – May 20 | Jul 8 |
| Kale | Mar 16 – Mar 30 | Apr 27 – May 11 | Jun 9 |
| Broccoli | Mar 11 – Mar 25 | Apr 22 – May 13 | Jun 21 |
| Cucumber | May 3 – May 10 | May 31 – Jun 14 | Jul 20 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | May 3 – May 10 | May 31 – Jun 14 | Jul 15 |
| Winter squash | May 3 – May 10 | May 31 – Jun 14 | Aug 19 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 24 – Jun 14 | Jul 23 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 22 – May 13 | Jul 21 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 5 – Oct 3 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 20 – May 18 | May 28 |
| Basil | Apr 19 – May 3 | May 31 – Jun 14 | Jul 27 |
Renfrew'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 |
|---|---|
| 1981 | May 20 |
| 1989 | May 8 |
| 1990 | May 22 |
| 1992 | Jun 23 |
| 1993 | May 23 |
| 1994 | May 28 |
| 1995 | May 8 |
| 1996 | May 29 |
| 1997 | May 18 |
| 1999 | May 13 |
| 2000 | Jun 5 |
| 2001 | May 15 |
| 2002 | May 25 |
| 2003 | May 4 |
| 2004 | May 30 |
| 2005 | May 19 |
| 2006 | May 7 |
| 2007 | May 22 |
| 2008 | May 28 |
| 2009 | May 18 |
| 2010 | May 13 |
| 2011 | May 10 |
| 2012 | May 18 |
| 2013 | May 18 |
| 2014 | May 18 |
| 2015 | May 23 |
| 2016 | May 17 |
| 2017 | May 9 |
| 2018 | May 18 |
| 2020 | Jun 1 |
| 2021 | May 30 |
| 2022 | May 18 |
| 2023 | May 26 |
| 2024 | May 30 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1989 | 108 |
| 1990 | 108 |
| 1992 | 80 |
| 1993 | 115 |
| 1994 | 125 |
| 1995 | 122 |
| 1996 | 117 |
| 1999 | 135 |
| 2000 | 91 |
| 2001 | 122 |
| 2002 | 131 |
| 2003 | 149 |
| 2004 | 111 |
| 2005 | 127 |
| 2006 | 136 |
| 2007 | 116 |
| 2008 | 110 |
| 2009 | 124 |
| 2010 | 141 |
| 2011 | 129 |
| 2012 | 120 |
| 2013 | 110 |
| 2014 | 123 |
| 2015 | 130 |
| 2017 | 115 |
| 2018 | 127 |
| 2020 | 105 |
| 2021 | 141 |
| 2022 | 128 |
| 2023 | 117 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1981 | 14.0 °C |
| 1982 | 13.3 °C |
| 1983 | 13.9 °C |
| 1984 | 13.9 °C |
| 1985 | 13.3 °C |
| 1986 | 13.9 °C |
| 1987 | 14.5 °C |
| 1989 | 14.3 °C |
| 1990 | 14.3 °C |
| 1991 | 15.1 °C |
| 1992 | 13.0 °C |
| 1993 | 14.2 °C |
| 1994 | 14.1 °C |
| 1995 | 14.1 °C |
| 1996 | 14.1 °C |
| 1999 | 15.7 °C |
| 2000 | 13.6 °C |
| 2001 | 15.2 °C |
| 2002 | 14.9 °C |
| 2003 | 14.5 °C |
| 2004 | 13.9 °C |
| 2005 | 15.5 °C |
| 2006 | 14.9 °C |
| 2007 | 14.3 °C |
| 2008 | 14.3 °C |
| 2009 | 13.7 °C |
| 2010 | 15.7 °C |
| 2011 | 15.3 °C |
| 2012 | 15.5 °C |
| 2013 | 14.3 °C |
| 2014 | 14.1 °C |
| 2015 | 15.2 °C |
| 2017 | 14.3 °C |
| 2018 | 14.4 °C |
| 2020 | 14.1 °C |
| 2021 | 14.9 °C |
| 2022 | 14.5 °C |
| 2023 | 14.5 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1981, Renfrew's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. The frost-free season has grown by about 4 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Charteris (NOAA GHCN-Daily, from Environment and Climate Change Canada). Years with too many missing days are left out.