When to plant in Gaspé, QC
Planting dates worked out from Gaspé's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Jun 16
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Jun 5
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Sep 18
1 year in 10 by Sep 3
Frost-free days
105
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Gaspe A · 6.3 km away · station 34 m, town 15 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 21 – May 5 | Jun 16 – Jun 30 | Aug 10 |
| Sweet pepper | Apr 7 – Apr 21 | Jun 16 – Jun 30 | Aug 15 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Apr 3 – Apr 10 | May 8 – May 22 | Jun 17 |
| Peas | — | May 8 – Jun 5 | Jul 2 |
| Bush beans | — | Jun 9 – Jun 30 | Jul 29 |
| Carrot | — | May 19 – Jun 30 | Jul 18 |
| Beet | — | May 19 – Jun 30 | Jul 8 |
| Potato | — | May 19 – Jun 9 | Jul 28 |
| Kale | Apr 3 – Apr 17 | May 15 – May 29 | Jun 27 |
| Broccoli | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | May 8 – May 29 | Jul 7 |
| Cucumber | May 19 – May 26 | Jun 16 – Jun 30 | Aug 5 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | May 19 – May 26 | Jun 16 – Jun 30 | Jul 31 |
| Winter squash Season likely too short |
May 19 – May 26 | Jun 16 – Jun 30 | Sep 4 |
| Sweet corn | — | Jun 9 – Jun 30 | Aug 8 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | May 8 – May 29 | Aug 6 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 4 – Oct 2 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | May 8 – Jun 5 | Jun 15 |
| Basil | May 5 – May 19 | Jun 16 – Jun 30 | Aug 12 |
Gaspé'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 |
|---|---|
| 1969 | May 28 |
| 1970 | Jun 14 |
| 1971 | Jun 7 |
| 1972 | Jun 12 |
| 1973 | Jun 17 |
| 1978 | Jun 2 |
| 1979 | May 18 |
| 1980 | Jun 13 |
| 1981 | Jun 2 |
| 1982 | Jun 12 |
| 1983 | Jun 10 |
| 1984 | Jun 24 |
| 1985 | Jun 5 |
| 1986 | Jun 12 |
| 1987 | May 24 |
| 1988 | Jun 10 |
| 1989 | Jun 10 |
| 1990 | Jun 12 |
| 1991 | May 31 |
| 1992 | Jun 16 |
| 1994 | Jun 11 |
| 1995 | Jun 10 |
| 1996 | Jun 20 |
| 1997 | Jun 16 |
| 1998 | Jun 9 |
| 1999 | Jun 9 |
| 2000 | Jun 6 |
| 2001 | May 23 |
| 2002 | Jun 8 |
| 2003 | Jun 8 |
| 2004 | May 26 |
| 2005 | Jun 6 |
| 2006 | May 30 |
| 2007 | Jun 4 |
| 2008 | Jun 5 |
| 2009 | Jun 10 |
| 2010 | May 21 |
| 2011 | May 26 |
| 2012 | May 29 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1969 | 108 |
| 1970 | 97 |
| 1971 | 112 |
| 1972 | 96 |
| 1973 | 92 |
| 1978 | 98 |
| 1980 | 94 |
| 1981 | 116 |
| 1982 | 87 |
| 1983 | 107 |
| 1984 | 84 |
| 1985 | 108 |
| 1986 | 77 |
| 1987 | 117 |
| 1988 | 98 |
| 1989 | 106 |
| 1990 | 83 |
| 1991 | 112 |
| 1992 | 95 |
| 1994 | 83 |
| 1995 | 88 |
| 1996 | 95 |
| 1997 | 100 |
| 1998 | 117 |
| 1999 | 109 |
| 2000 | 91 |
| 2001 | 118 |
| 2002 | 83 |
| 2003 | 93 |
| 2004 | 117 |
| 2005 | 116 |
| 2006 | 88 |
| 2007 | 117 |
| 2008 | 105 |
| 2009 | 97 |
| 2010 | 125 |
| 2011 | 123 |
| 2012 | 113 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1969 | 10.5 °C |
| 1970 | 11.4 °C |
| 1971 | 12.0 °C |
| 1972 | 10.5 °C |
| 1978 | 10.3 °C |
| 1979 | 11.9 °C |
| 1980 | 10.5 °C |
| 1981 | 10.9 °C |
| 1982 | 9.8 °C |
| 1983 | 11.2 °C |
| 1984 | 11.1 °C |
| 1985 | 10.6 °C |
| 1986 | 10.2 °C |
| 1987 | 11.5 °C |
| 1988 | 11.2 °C |
| 1989 | 12.0 °C |
| 1990 | 11.1 °C |
| 1991 | 10.6 °C |
| 1992 | 10.2 °C |
| 1994 | 10.7 °C |
| 1995 | 11.3 °C |
| 1996 | 11.0 °C |
| 1997 | 10.2 °C |
| 1998 | 11.6 °C |
| 1999 | 12.9 °C |
| 2000 | 10.4 °C |
| 2001 | 11.9 °C |
| 2002 | 11.0 °C |
| 2003 | 11.2 °C |
| 2004 | 11.1 °C |
| 2005 | 11.8 °C |
| 2006 | 12.1 °C |
| 2007 | 10.8 °C |
| 2008 | 11.4 °C |
| 2009 | 11.3 °C |
| 2010 | 12.2 °C |
| 2011 | 11.0 °C |
| 2012 | 12.5 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1969, Gaspé's last spring frost has come about 2 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 3 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Gaspe A (NOAA GHCN-Daily, from Environment and Climate Change Canada). Years with too many missing days are left out.