When to plant in Montréal, QC
Planting dates worked out from Montréal's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 30
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 20
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 28
1 year in 10 by Oct 18
Frost-free days
190
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Mctavish · 0.8 km away · station 73 m, town 216 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 | Mar 12 – Mar 26 | May 7 – May 21 | Jul 1 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | May 7 – May 21 | Jul 6 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 8 – Mar 15 | Apr 12 – Apr 26 | May 22 |
| Peas | — | Apr 12 – May 10 | Jun 6 |
| Bush beans | — | May 2 – May 23 | Jun 21 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 20 – Jun 1 | Jun 19 |
| Beet | — | Apr 20 – Jun 1 | Jun 9 |
| Potato | — | Apr 20 – May 11 | Jun 29 |
| Kale | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 1 |
| Broccoli | Mar 1 – Mar 15 | Apr 12 – May 3 | Jun 11 |
| Cucumber | Apr 9 – Apr 16 | May 7 – May 21 | Jun 26 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 9 – Apr 16 | May 7 – May 21 | Jun 21 |
| Winter squash | Apr 9 – Apr 16 | May 7 – May 21 | Jul 26 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 2 – May 23 | Jul 1 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 12 – May 3 | Jul 11 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 1 – Oct 29 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 12 – May 10 | May 20 |
| Basil | Mar 26 – Apr 9 | May 7 – May 21 | Jul 3 |
Montréal'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 |
|---|---|
| 1997 | Apr 15 |
| 1998 | Mar 25 |
| 1999 | Apr 24 |
| 2000 | Apr 18 |
| 2001 | Apr 19 |
| 2002 | Apr 23 |
| 2003 | Apr 25 |
| 2004 | Apr 25 |
| 2005 | Apr 12 |
| 2006 | Apr 9 |
| 2007 | Apr 11 |
| 2008 | Apr 30 |
| 2009 | Apr 13 |
| 2010 | May 10 |
| 2011 | Apr 16 |
| 2012 | Apr 28 |
| 2013 | Apr 21 |
| 2015 | Apr 8 |
| 2016 | Apr 28 |
| 2017 | Apr 24 |
| 2018 | Apr 18 |
| 2019 | Apr 11 |
| 2020 | May 9 |
| 2021 | Apr 26 |
| 2022 | Apr 2 |
| 2023 | Apr 9 |
| 2024 | Apr 25 |
| 2025 | Apr 17 |
| 2026 | Apr 21 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 189 |
| 1999 | 177 |
| 2000 | 193 |
| 2001 | 194 |
| 2002 | 181 |
| 2003 | 192 |
| 2004 | 192 |
| 2005 | 199 |
| 2006 | 207 |
| 2007 | 199 |
| 2008 | 175 |
| 2009 | 184 |
| 2010 | 165 |
| 2011 | 194 |
| 2012 | 190 |
| 2013 | 189 |
| 2015 | 191 |
| 2016 | 181 |
| 2017 | 199 |
| 2018 | 182 |
| 2019 | 209 |
| 2020 | 170 |
| 2021 | 191 |
| 2022 | 220 |
| 2023 | 204 |
| 2024 | 184 |
| 2025 | 202 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 15.7 °C |
| 1998 | 17.5 °C |
| 1999 | 17.4 °C |
| 2000 | 15.3 °C |
| 2001 | 17.4 °C |
| 2002 | 16.7 °C |
| 2003 | 16.1 °C |
| 2004 | 16.0 °C |
| 2005 | 17.4 °C |
| 2006 | 16.6 °C |
| 2007 | 16.4 °C |
| 2008 | 16.8 °C |
| 2009 | 16.4 °C |
| 2010 | 17.8 °C |
| 2011 | 17.2 °C |
| 2012 | 17.7 °C |
| 2013 | 16.6 °C |
| 2015 | 17.6 °C |
| 2016 | 17.2 °C |
| 2017 | 16.8 °C |
| 2018 | 17.6 °C |
| 2019 | 16.5 °C |
| 2020 | 16.9 °C |
| 2021 | 18.2 °C |
| 2022 | 17.2 °C |
| 2023 | 17.4 °C |
| 2024 | 18.0 °C |
| 2025 | 17.5 °C |
| 2026 | 17.2 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Mctavish (NOAA GHCN-Daily, from Environment and Climate Change Canada). Years with too many missing days are left out.