When to plant in Lac-Mégantic, QC
Planting dates worked out from Lac-Mégantic's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Jun 3
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 26
1 year in 10 by Sep 15
Frost-free days
124
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Lac Megantic 2 · 2.2 km away · station 426 m, town 396 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 8 – Apr 22 | Jun 3 – Jun 17 | Jul 28 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 25 – Apr 8 | Jun 3 – Jun 17 | Aug 2 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 22 – Mar 29 | Apr 26 – May 10 | Jun 5 |
| Peas | — | Apr 26 – May 24 | Jun 20 |
| Bush beans | — | May 27 – Jun 17 | Jul 16 |
| Carrot | — | May 5 – Jun 16 | Jul 4 |
| Beet | — | May 5 – Jun 16 | Jun 24 |
| Potato | — | May 5 – May 26 | Jul 14 |
| Kale | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | May 3 – May 17 | Jun 15 |
| Broccoli | Mar 15 – Mar 29 | Apr 26 – May 17 | Jun 25 |
| Cucumber | May 6 – May 13 | Jun 3 – Jun 17 | Jul 23 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | May 6 – May 13 | Jun 3 – Jun 17 | Jul 18 |
| Winter squash | May 6 – May 13 | Jun 3 – Jun 17 | Aug 22 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 27 – Jun 17 | Jul 26 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 26 – May 17 | Jul 25 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 12 – Oct 10 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 26 – May 24 | Jun 3 |
| Basil | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jun 3 – Jun 17 | Jul 30 |
Lac-Mégantic'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 |
|---|---|
| 1963 | May 26 |
| 1964 | Jun 1 |
| 1965 | May 23 |
| 1966 | Jun 2 |
| 1967 | Jun 1 |
| 1970 | May 29 |
| 1971 | Jun 28 |
| 1972 | Jun 12 |
| 1973 | Jun 3 |
| 1974 | May 30 |
| 1975 | Jun 9 |
| 1976 | May 8 |
| 1977 | May 14 |
| 1978 | May 8 |
| 1979 | May 8 |
| 1980 | Jun 9 |
| 1981 | May 18 |
| 1982 | May 22 |
| 1983 | May 18 |
| 1984 | May 19 |
| 1985 | May 29 |
| 1986 | Jun 3 |
| 1987 | May 19 |
| 1988 | May 15 |
| 1989 | May 10 |
| 1990 | Jun 6 |
| 1991 | May 19 |
| 1992 | May 26 |
| 1993 | May 18 |
| 1995 | May 28 |
| 1996 | May 27 |
| 2000 | Jun 5 |
| 2001 | May 14 |
| 2002 | Jun 4 |
| 2003 | May 17 |
| 2004 | May 31 |
| 2005 | May 14 |
| 2006 | May 9 |
| 2007 | May 22 |
| 2017 | May 21 |
| 2018 | May 18 |
| 2020 | Jun 2 |
| 2021 | May 28 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1963 | 110 |
| 1964 | 103 |
| 1965 | 99 |
| 1966 | 109 |
| 1967 | 126 |
| 1970 | 129 |
| 1971 | 96 |
| 1972 | 99 |
| 1973 | 105 |
| 1974 | 115 |
| 1975 | 97 |
| 1976 | 139 |
| 1977 | 130 |
| 1978 | 131 |
| 1979 | 134 |
| 1980 | 106 |
| 1981 | 134 |
| 1982 | 140 |
| 1983 | 144 |
| 1984 | 125 |
| 1985 | 134 |
| 1986 | 103 |
| 1987 | 129 |
| 1988 | 136 |
| 1989 | 137 |
| 1990 | 103 |
| 1991 | 124 |
| 1992 | 120 |
| 1995 | 102 |
| 1996 | 126 |
| 2000 | 112 |
| 2001 | 137 |
| 2002 | 116 |
| 2004 | 126 |
| 2005 | 118 |
| 2006 | 150 |
| 2017 | 143 |
| 2018 | 128 |
| 2020 | 107 |
| 2021 | 148 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1963 | 12.2 °C |
| 1964 | 12.3 °C |
| 1965 | 12.2 °C |
| 1966 | 12.2 °C |
| 1967 | 12.4 °C |
| 1970 | 12.1 °C |
| 1971 | 12.3 °C |
| 1972 | 11.6 °C |
| 1973 | 13.4 °C |
| 1974 | 12.4 °C |
| 1975 | 13.0 °C |
| 1976 | 13.0 °C |
| 1977 | 12.2 °C |
| 1978 | 12.3 °C |
| 1979 | 13.1 °C |
| 1980 | 12.5 °C |
| 1981 | 13.0 °C |
| 1982 | 12.1 °C |
| 1983 | 13.3 °C |
| 1984 | 12.8 °C |
| 1985 | 12.3 °C |
| 1986 | 12.4 °C |
| 1987 | 13.2 °C |
| 1988 | 13.1 °C |
| 1989 | 12.8 °C |
| 1990 | 12.6 °C |
| 1991 | 13.3 °C |
| 1992 | 12.4 °C |
| 1993 | 12.6 °C |
| 1994 | 12.4 °C |
| 1995 | 12.1 °C |
| 1996 | 12.5 °C |
| 1999 | 14.3 °C |
| 2000 | 12.1 °C |
| 2001 | 13.3 °C |
| 2004 | 13.2 °C |
| 2005 | 13.2 °C |
| 2017 | 13.6 °C |
| 2018 | 13.8 °C |
| 2020 | 13.6 °C |
| 2021 | 14.2 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1963, Lac-Mégantic's last spring frost has come about 1 day earlier per decade, on average. 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 Lac Megantic 2 (NOAA GHCN-Daily, from Environment and Climate Change Canada). Years with too many missing days are left out.