When to plant in Gatineau, QC

Planting dates worked out from Gatineau's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.

Safe to plant out

May 11

1 year in 10 has a later frost

Average last frost

Apr 30

about a 50% chance of a later one

Average first fall frost

Oct 9

1 year in 10 by Sep 28

Frost-free days

160

median, 1991–2020

Station used: Ottawa Cda · 10.5 km away · station 79 m, town 53 m. How we match towns to stations

This season

Plan your garden.

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Planting dates for common crops

Crop	Start indoors	Plant out or sow	Harvest from
Tomato	Mar 16 – Mar 30	May 11 – May 25	Jul 5
Sweet pepper	Mar 2 – Mar 16	May 11 – May 25	Jul 10
Lettuce (leaf)	Mar 11 – Mar 18	Apr 15 – Apr 29	May 25
Peas	—	Apr 15 – May 13	Jun 9
Bush beans	—	May 4 – May 25	Jun 23
Carrot	—	Apr 22 – Jun 3	Jun 21
Beet	—	Apr 22 – Jun 3	Jun 11
Potato	—	Apr 22 – May 13	Jul 1
Kale	Mar 11 – Mar 25	Apr 22 – May 6	Jun 4
Broccoli	Mar 4 – Mar 18	Apr 15 – May 6	Jun 14
Cucumber	Apr 13 – Apr 20	May 11 – May 25	Jun 30
Summer squash and zucchini	Apr 13 – Apr 20	May 11 – May 25	Jun 25
Winter squash	Apr 13 – Apr 20	May 11 – May 25	Jul 30
Sweet corn	—	May 4 – May 25	Jul 3
Onion (from sets)	—	Apr 15 – May 6	Jul 14
Garlic	—	Sep 25 – Oct 23 (fall)	following summer
Spinach	—	Apr 15 – May 13	May 23
Basil	Mar 30 – Apr 13	May 11 – May 25	Jul 7

Plan all 65 crops for Gatineau

Gatineau'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
1890	May 8
1891	May 23
1892	May 1
1893	Apr 26
1894	Apr 15
1895	May 22
1896	Apr 22
1897	Apr 27
1898	Apr 27
1900	May 11
1901	Apr 20
1902	May 11
1903	May 2
1904	Apr 23
1905	May 8
1906	May 21
1907	May 29
1908	May 2
1909	May 4
1910	Jun 4
1911	May 4
1912	Apr 30
1913	May 15
1914	May 2
1915	May 27
1916	Apr 30
1917	May 15
1918	May 11
1919	May 6
1920	Apr 26
1921	Apr 18
1922	May 1
1923	May 13
1924	May 21
1925	May 24
1926	May 21
1927	May 8
1928	May 14
1929	May 20
1930	May 18
1931	May 18
1932	May 22
1933	May 8
1934	May 16
1935	May 23
1936	May 22
1937	May 16
1938	Apr 23
1939	May 18
1940	May 12
1941	May 13
1942	May 10
1943	May 14
1944	May 21
1945	May 16
1946	May 9
1947	May 10
1948	Apr 29
1949	May 13
1950	May 14
1951	May 14
1952	May 5
1953	Apr 30
1954	May 27
1955	May 17
1956	May 26
1957	May 21
1958	May 10
1959	May 17
1960	May 2
1961	May 6
1962	Apr 25
1963	May 24
1964	May 21
1965	May 5
1966	May 11
1967	May 23
1968	May 6
1969	May 27
1970	May 7
1971	Apr 24
1972	Apr 28
1973	Apr 25
1974	May 5
1975	Apr 23
1976	Apr 27
1977	May 4
1978	May 4
1979	Apr 20
1980	Apr 23
1981	May 17
1982	Apr 22
1983	May 18
1984	Apr 22
1985	May 9
1986	May 4
1987	May 3
1988	Apr 27
1989	Apr 24
1990	Apr 19
1991	Apr 14
1992	Apr 18
1993	Apr 28
1994	May 3
1995	Apr 25
1996	Apr 29
1997	May 8
1998	Apr 12
1999	Apr 25
2000	Apr 17
2001	Apr 29
2002	May 19
2003	Apr 25
2004	May 8
2005	May 13
2006	May 7
2007	Apr 26
2008	May 1
2009	Apr 19
2010	May 11
2011	May 6
2012	Apr 30
2013	May 14
2014	Apr 24
2015	Apr 25
2016	Apr 30
2017	May 9
2018	Apr 23
2019	Apr 29
2021	May 1
2022	Apr 30
2023	May 18
2024	Apr 26
2025	May 1

Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Frost-free days
1890	139
1891	141
1892	163
1893	173
1894	163
1895	139
1896	153
1897	153
1898	162
1900	158
1901	169
1902	151
1903	169
1904	151
1905	140
1906	126
1907	119
1908	153
1909	161
1910	125
1911	132
1912	152
1913	122
1914	149
1915	134
1916	153
1917	130
1918	141
1919	154
1920	147
1921	173
1922	147
1923	145
1924	126
1925	121
1926	128
1927	153
1928	132
1929	121
1930	114
1931	143
1932	130
1933	158
1934	137
1935	113
1936	126
1937	139
1938	161
1939	128
1940	136
1941	122
1942	141
1943	126
1944	125
1945	123
1946	126
1947	135
1948	157
1949	155
1950	126
1951	138
1952	151
1953	140
1954	132
1955	128
1956	117
1957	129
1958	144
1959	149
1960	152
1961	133
1962	179
1963	122
1964	117
1965	144
1966	138
1967	136
1968	152
1969	115
1970	151
1971	171
1972	164
1973	144
1974	141
1975	162
1976	166
1977	155
1978	144
1979	152
1980	158
1981	135
1982	178
1983	144
1984	157
1985	155
1986	155
1987	146
1988	162
1989	167
1990	183
1991	168
1992	158
1993	155
1994	160
1995	151
1996	157
1997	146
1998	176
1999	164
2000	163
2001	162
2002	148
2003	160
2004	149
2005	160
2006	152
2007	185
2008	158
2009	175
2010	160
2011	174
2012	160
2013	162
2014	147
2015	175
2016	163
2017	160
2018	173
2019	158
2021	174
2022	156
2023	164
2024	173

Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Growing-season temperature
1890	14.2 °C
1891	15.2 °C
1892	15.0 °C
1893	14.5 °C
1894	15.6 °C
1895	15.7 °C
1896	15.6 °C
1897	15.2 °C
1898	16.2 °C
1900	15.8 °C
1901	16.5 °C
1902	15.0 °C
1903	15.0 °C
1904	14.6 °C
1905	14.9 °C
1906	15.9 °C
1907	13.6 °C
1908	15.8 °C
1909	14.6 °C
1910	15.6 °C
1911	16.2 °C
1912	14.4 °C
1913	15.4 °C
1914	15.1 °C
1915	15.7 °C
1916	15.7 °C
1917	14.4 °C
1918	15.1 °C
1919	15.8 °C
1920	15.5 °C
1921	17.6 °C
1922	16.2 °C
1923	14.6 °C
1924	13.8 °C
1925	14.7 °C
1926	13.2 °C
1927	14.2 °C
1928	13.8 °C
1929	14.2 °C
1930	14.8 °C
1931	15.9 °C
1932	14.5 °C
1933	15.5 °C
1934	15.0 °C
1935	14.3 °C
1936	14.4 °C
1937	15.6 °C
1938	15.1 °C
1939	14.2 °C
1940	14.3 °C
1941	15.8 °C
1942	15.5 °C
1943	14.0 °C
1944	15.9 °C
1945	14.8 °C
1946	14.4 °C
1947	14.6 °C
1948	15.6 °C
1949	16.0 °C
1950	14.2 °C
1951	15.1 °C
1952	15.7 °C
1953	15.5 °C
1954	14.2 °C
1955	16.9 °C
1956	13.4 °C
1957	15.1 °C
1958	14.3 °C
1959	16.5 °C
1960	15.6 °C
1961	15.2 °C
1962	14.9 °C
1963	14.7 °C
1964	15.1 °C
1965	14.7 °C
1966	14.8 °C
1967	14.9 °C
1968	15.8 °C
1969	15.0 °C
1970	15.4 °C
1971	14.9 °C
1972	14.5 °C
1973	16.1 °C
1974	14.7 °C
1975	16.2 °C
1976	15.3 °C
1977	15.6 °C
1978	15.2 °C
1979	15.4 °C
1980	15.4 °C
1981	15.4 °C
1982	15.0 °C
1983	15.8 °C
1984	15.6 °C
1985	15.4 °C
1986	15.3 °C
1987	16.2 °C
1988	16.1 °C
1989	15.8 °C
1990	15.7 °C
1991	16.8 °C
1992	14.4 °C
1993	15.5 °C
1994	15.4 °C
1995	15.6 °C
1996	15.5 °C
1997	15.1 °C
1998	17.2 °C
1999	17.4 °C
2000	15.0 °C
2001	16.9 °C
2002	16.2 °C
2003	16.1 °C
2004	15.7 °C
2005	17.1 °C
2006	16.4 °C
2007	16.1 °C
2008	15.8 °C
2009	15.4 °C
2010	17.2 °C
2011	17.0 °C
2012	17.2 °C
2013	15.9 °C
2014	15.8 °C
2015	16.9 °C
2016	16.4 °C
2017	16.2 °C
2018	16.7 °C
2019	15.3 °C
2021	17.2 °C
2022	16.6 °C
2023	17.0 °C
2024	17.4 °C
2025	16.8 °C

What this means for you: Since 1890, Gatineau'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 Ottawa Cda (NOAA GHCN-Daily, from Environment and Climate Change Canada). Years with too many missing days are left out.

Nearby towns

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