When to plant in Windsor, QC
Planting dates worked out from Windsor's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Jun 1
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 21
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Sep 28
1 year in 10 by Sep 18
Frost-free days
125
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Bromptonville · 10.0 km away · station 130 m, town 173 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 6 – Apr 20 | Jun 1 – Jun 15 | Jul 26 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | Jun 1 – Jun 15 | Jul 31 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 19 – Mar 26 | Apr 23 – May 7 | Jun 2 |
| Peas | — | Apr 19 – May 17 | Jun 13 |
| Bush beans | — | May 25 – Jun 15 | Jul 14 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 30 – Jun 11 | Jun 29 |
| Beet | — | Apr 27 – Jun 8 | Jun 16 |
| Potato | — | Apr 30 – May 21 | Jul 9 |
| Kale | Mar 15 – Mar 29 | Apr 26 – May 10 | Jun 8 |
| Broccoli | Mar 12 – Mar 26 | Apr 23 – May 14 | Jun 22 |
| Cucumber | May 4 – May 11 | Jun 1 – Jun 15 | Jul 21 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | May 4 – May 11 | Jun 1 – Jun 15 | Jul 16 |
| Winter squash | May 4 – May 11 | Jun 1 – Jun 15 | Aug 20 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 25 – Jun 15 | Jul 24 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 23 – May 14 | Jul 22 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 14 – Oct 12 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 19 – May 17 | May 27 |
| Basil | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 1 – Jun 15 | Jul 28 |
Windsor'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 |
|---|---|
| 1958 | May 10 |
| 1959 | May 9 |
| 1960 | Apr 30 |
| 1961 | May 31 |
| 1962 | May 11 |
| 1963 | May 12 |
| 1964 | May 21 |
| 1965 | Jun 3 |
| 1966 | May 12 |
| 1967 | May 23 |
| 1971 | Jun 1 |
| 1972 | May 26 |
| 1973 | May 7 |
| 1974 | May 20 |
| 1975 | May 10 |
| 1976 | May 1 |
| 1977 | May 15 |
| 1978 | May 23 |
| 1979 | May 8 |
| 1980 | May 28 |
| 1981 | May 24 |
| 1982 | May 22 |
| 1983 | May 19 |
| 1984 | May 18 |
| 1985 | May 29 |
| 1986 | Jun 3 |
| 1987 | May 19 |
| 1988 | Jun 8 |
| 1989 | May 10 |
| 1990 | Jun 6 |
| 1991 | May 19 |
| 1992 | May 26 |
| 1993 | May 14 |
| 1994 | May 15 |
| 1995 | May 10 |
| 1996 | May 27 |
| 1997 | May 27 |
| 1998 | May 27 |
| 1999 | May 15 |
| 2000 | Jun 5 |
| 2001 | Jun 1 |
| 2002 | Jun 4 |
| 2003 | May 22 |
| 2004 | May 31 |
| 2005 | May 14 |
| 2006 | May 8 |
| 2007 | May 22 |
| 2008 | May 30 |
| 2009 | May 26 |
| 2010 | May 17 |
| 2011 | May 1 |
| 2018 | May 18 |
| 2022 | May 8 |
| 2023 | May 23 |
| 2024 | Apr 27 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1958 | 148 |
| 1959 | 129 |
| 1960 | 154 |
| 1961 | 108 |
| 1962 | 132 |
| 1963 | 124 |
| 1964 | 114 |
| 1965 | 88 |
| 1966 | 130 |
| 1967 | 110 |
| 1971 | 133 |
| 1973 | 136 |
| 1974 | 126 |
| 1975 | 145 |
| 1976 | 146 |
| 1977 | 144 |
| 1978 | 112 |
| 1979 | 134 |
| 1980 | 118 |
| 1981 | 129 |
| 1982 | 140 |
| 1983 | 96 |
| 1984 | 126 |
| 1985 | 131 |
| 1986 | 105 |
| 1987 | 129 |
| 1988 | 99 |
| 1989 | 106 |
| 1990 | 104 |
| 1991 | 125 |
| 1992 | 120 |
| 1993 | 130 |
| 1994 | 139 |
| 1995 | 123 |
| 1996 | 119 |
| 1997 | 119 |
| 1998 | 129 |
| 1999 | 141 |
| 2000 | 112 |
| 2001 | 105 |
| 2003 | 137 |
| 2004 | 110 |
| 2005 | 159 |
| 2006 | 150 |
| 2007 | 147 |
| 2008 | 111 |
| 2009 | 122 |
| 2018 | 152 |
| 2022 | 147 |
| 2023 | 159 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1958 | 13.6 °C |
| 1960 | 14.7 °C |
| 1961 | 14.5 °C |
| 1962 | 13.6 °C |
| 1963 | 13.9 °C |
| 1964 | 14.2 °C |
| 1965 | 13.8 °C |
| 1966 | 13.5 °C |
| 1967 | 13.7 °C |
| 1971 | 14.4 °C |
| 1972 | 13.9 °C |
| 1973 | 14.9 °C |
| 1975 | 15.0 °C |
| 1976 | 14.8 °C |
| 1977 | 14.1 °C |
| 1978 | 13.8 °C |
| 1979 | 14.2 °C |
| 1980 | 14.0 °C |
| 1981 | 14.7 °C |
| 1982 | 13.9 °C |
| 1983 | 14.4 °C |
| 1984 | 14.4 °C |
| 1985 | 13.8 °C |
| 1986 | 13.8 °C |
| 1987 | 14.5 °C |
| 1988 | 14.6 °C |
| 1989 | 14.0 °C |
| 1990 | 14.2 °C |
| 1991 | 14.6 °C |
| 1992 | 13.4 °C |
| 1993 | 14.4 °C |
| 1994 | 14.3 °C |
| 1995 | 13.8 °C |
| 1996 | 14.0 °C |
| 1997 | 13.0 °C |
| 1998 | 15.3 °C |
| 1999 | 15.7 °C |
| 2000 | 13.7 °C |
| 2001 | 15.0 °C |
| 2003 | 14.9 °C |
| 2004 | 14.7 °C |
| 2005 | 15.6 °C |
| 2006 | 15.3 °C |
| 2007 | 14.4 °C |
| 2008 | 15.4 °C |
| 2009 | 14.4 °C |
| 2010 | 15.6 °C |
| 2018 | 15.0 °C |
| 2022 | 15.3 °C |
| 2023 | 15.5 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1958, Windsor's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. 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 Bromptonville (NOAA GHCN-Daily, from Environment and Climate Change Canada). Years with too many missing days are left out.