When to plant in Coaticook, QC
Planting dates worked out from Coaticook's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 27
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 15
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 1
1 year in 10 by Sep 19
Frost-free days
140
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Coaticook · 1.8 km away · station 259 m, town 289 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 1 – Apr 15 | May 27 – Jun 10 | Jul 21 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | May 27 – Jun 10 | Jul 26 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 16 – Mar 23 | Apr 20 – May 4 | May 30 |
| Peas | — | Apr 20 – May 18 | Jun 14 |
| Bush beans | — | May 20 – Jun 10 | Jul 9 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 27 – Jun 8 | Jun 26 |
| Beet | — | Apr 27 – Jun 8 | Jun 16 |
| Potato | — | Apr 27 – May 18 | Jul 6 |
| Kale | Mar 16 – Mar 30 | Apr 27 – May 11 | Jun 9 |
| Broccoli | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Apr 20 – May 11 | Jun 19 |
| Cucumber | Apr 29 – May 6 | May 27 – Jun 10 | Jul 16 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 29 – May 6 | May 27 – Jun 10 | Jul 11 |
| Winter squash | Apr 29 – May 6 | May 27 – Jun 10 | Aug 15 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 20 – Jun 10 | Jul 19 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 20 – May 11 | Jul 19 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 17 – Oct 15 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 20 – May 18 | May 28 |
| Basil | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | May 27 – Jun 10 | Jul 23 |
Coaticook'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 |
|---|---|
| 1950 | May 14 |
| 1951 | Jun 8 |
| 1952 | May 28 |
| 1953 | Jun 3 |
| 1954 | May 27 |
| 1955 | May 21 |
| 1956 | Jun 19 |
| 1957 | May 21 |
| 1958 | Jun 7 |
| 1959 | May 18 |
| 1960 | Jun 8 |
| 1961 | May 31 |
| 1962 | Jul 2 |
| 1963 | May 12 |
| 1964 | May 21 |
| 1965 | Jun 3 |
| 1966 | Jun 1 |
| 1967 | May 29 |
| 1968 | May 27 |
| 1969 | May 27 |
| 1970 | May 29 |
| 1971 | May 24 |
| 1973 | May 7 |
| 1975 | May 4 |
| 1977 | May 15 |
| 1978 | May 5 |
| 1979 | May 8 |
| 1980 | May 28 |
| 1981 | May 18 |
| 1982 | May 22 |
| 1983 | May 18 |
| 1984 | May 18 |
| 1985 | May 29 |
| 1986 | Jun 3 |
| 1987 | May 16 |
| 1988 | May 15 |
| 1989 | Apr 29 |
| 1990 | May 25 |
| 1991 | May 19 |
| 1992 | May 25 |
| 1993 | May 14 |
| 1994 | May 27 |
| 1995 | May 7 |
| 1996 | May 29 |
| 1997 | May 27 |
| 1998 | Apr 27 |
| 1999 | May 12 |
| 2000 | May 20 |
| 2001 | May 14 |
| 2002 | May 25 |
| 2003 | May 4 |
| 2004 | May 8 |
| 2005 | May 14 |
| 2006 | May 8 |
| 2007 | May 13 |
| 2008 | May 2 |
| 2009 | May 26 |
| 2010 | May 13 |
| 2011 | Apr 22 |
| 2012 | May 7 |
| 2013 | May 26 |
| 2014 | Apr 25 |
| 2015 | May 23 |
| 2016 | May 16 |
| 2017 | May 9 |
| 2018 | May 18 |
| 2020 | Jun 1 |
| 2021 | May 28 |
| 2022 | May 8 |
| 2023 | May 26 |
| 2024 | Apr 27 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 125 |
| 1952 | 102 |
| 1953 | 98 |
| 1954 | 108 |
| 1955 | 109 |
| 1956 | 80 |
| 1957 | 92 |
| 1958 | 113 |
| 1959 | 120 |
| 1960 | 100 |
| 1961 | 108 |
| 1962 | 80 |
| 1963 | 124 |
| 1964 | 114 |
| 1965 | 105 |
| 1966 | 110 |
| 1967 | 104 |
| 1968 | 131 |
| 1969 | 114 |
| 1970 | 129 |
| 1971 | 141 |
| 1973 | 132 |
| 1975 | 151 |
| 1977 | 129 |
| 1978 | 127 |
| 1979 | 134 |
| 1980 | 118 |
| 1981 | 144 |
| 1982 | 140 |
| 1983 | 144 |
| 1984 | 131 |
| 1985 | 135 |
| 1986 | 115 |
| 1987 | 132 |
| 1988 | 123 |
| 1989 | 150 |
| 1990 | 105 |
| 1991 | 132 |
| 1992 | 121 |
| 1993 | 138 |
| 1994 | 137 |
| 1995 | 126 |
| 1996 | 117 |
| 1997 | 119 |
| 1998 | 159 |
| 1999 | 144 |
| 2000 | 130 |
| 2001 | 138 |
| 2002 | 126 |
| 2003 | 151 |
| 2004 | 149 |
| 2005 | 159 |
| 2006 | 150 |
| 2007 | 156 |
| 2008 | 142 |
| 2009 | 122 |
| 2010 | 143 |
| 2011 | 166 |
| 2012 | 158 |
| 2013 | 113 |
| 2014 | 146 |
| 2015 | 132 |
| 2017 | 155 |
| 2018 | 152 |
| 2020 | 108 |
| 2021 | 149 |
| 2022 | 147 |
| 2023 | 150 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 13.4 °C |
| 1953 | 13.6 °C |
| 1954 | 12.0 °C |
| 1955 | 14.6 °C |
| 1956 | 11.3 °C |
| 1957 | 12.4 °C |
| 1958 | 13.7 °C |
| 1959 | 15.3 °C |
| 1960 | 14.6 °C |
| 1961 | 14.2 °C |
| 1962 | 12.3 °C |
| 1964 | 13.6 °C |
| 1965 | 13.3 °C |
| 1966 | 12.9 °C |
| 1967 | 13.5 °C |
| 1969 | 13.8 °C |
| 1971 | 13.7 °C |
| 1973 | 14.6 °C |
| 1975 | 14.2 °C |
| 1977 | 13.3 °C |
| 1978 | 13.0 °C |
| 1979 | 14.6 °C |
| 1980 | 13.8 °C |
| 1981 | 14.7 °C |
| 1982 | 13.8 °C |
| 1983 | 14.7 °C |
| 1984 | 14.5 °C |
| 1985 | 14.0 °C |
| 1986 | 14.3 °C |
| 1987 | 14.9 °C |
| 1988 | 14.7 °C |
| 1989 | 14.6 °C |
| 1990 | 14.3 °C |
| 1991 | 14.8 °C |
| 1992 | 13.7 °C |
| 1993 | 14.4 °C |
| 1994 | 13.7 °C |
| 1995 | 13.7 °C |
| 1996 | 13.8 °C |
| 1997 | 12.9 °C |
| 1998 | 14.9 °C |
| 1999 | 15.4 °C |
| 2000 | 13.3 °C |
| 2001 | 14.7 °C |
| 2002 | 14.3 °C |
| 2003 | 14.4 °C |
| 2004 | 13.9 °C |
| 2005 | 14.8 °C |
| 2006 | 14.6 °C |
| 2007 | 13.8 °C |
| 2008 | 14.9 °C |
| 2009 | 13.6 °C |
| 2010 | 15.4 °C |
| 2011 | 14.8 °C |
| 2012 | 15.2 °C |
| 2013 | 14.8 °C |
| 2014 | 14.5 °C |
| 2015 | 15.0 °C |
| 2017 | 14.8 °C |
| 2018 | 15.0 °C |
| 2020 | 14.5 °C |
| 2021 | 15.3 °C |
| 2022 | 14.9 °C |
| 2023 | 15.1 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1950, Coaticook's last spring frost has come about 3 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 6 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Coaticook (NOAA GHCN-Daily, from Environment and Climate Change Canada). Years with too many missing days are left out.