When to plant in Watrous, SK
Planting dates worked out from Watrous's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 25
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 19
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Sep 11
1 year in 10 by Aug 26
Frost-free days
115
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Watrous · 0.1 km away · station 541 m, town 543 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 30 – Apr 13 | May 25 – Jun 8 | Jul 19 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 16 – Mar 30 | May 25 – Jun 8 | Jul 24 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 18 – Mar 25 | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jun 1 |
| Peas | — | Apr 22 – May 20 | Jun 16 |
| Bush beans | — | May 18 – Jun 8 | Jul 7 |
| Carrot | — | May 2 – Jun 13 | Jul 1 |
| Beet | — | May 2 – Jun 13 | Jun 21 |
| Potato | — | May 2 – May 23 | Jul 11 |
| Kale | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 11 |
| Broccoli | Mar 11 – Mar 25 | Apr 22 – May 13 | Jun 21 |
| Cucumber | Apr 27 – May 4 | May 25 – Jun 8 | Jul 14 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 27 – May 4 | May 25 – Jun 8 | Jul 9 |
| Winter squash | Apr 27 – May 4 | May 25 – Jun 8 | Aug 13 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 18 – Jun 8 | Jul 17 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 22 – May 13 | Jul 21 |
| Garlic | — | Aug 28 – Sep 25 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 22 – May 20 | May 30 |
| Basil | Apr 13 – Apr 27 | May 25 – Jun 8 | Jul 21 |
Watrous'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 |
|---|---|
| 1953 | Jun 6 |
| 1954 | May 16 |
| 1955 | May 4 |
| 1956 | May 11 |
| 1957 | Jun 11 |
| 1958 | Jun 13 |
| 1959 | May 27 |
| 1960 | Jun 6 |
| 1961 | May 25 |
| 1962 | May 17 |
| 1963 | May 27 |
| 1964 | Jun 14 |
| 1965 | May 27 |
| 1966 | May 19 |
| 1967 | May 19 |
| 1968 | May 19 |
| 1969 | Jun 20 |
| 1970 | May 27 |
| 1971 | May 18 |
| 1972 | Jun 19 |
| 1973 | May 16 |
| 1974 | May 23 |
| 1975 | May 21 |
| 1976 | May 6 |
| 1977 | May 7 |
| 1978 | May 13 |
| 1979 | May 14 |
| 1980 | May 13 |
| 1981 | May 17 |
| 1982 | May 31 |
| 1983 | May 16 |
| 1984 | May 27 |
| 1985 | Jun 4 |
| 1986 | May 17 |
| 1987 | May 21 |
| 1988 | May 16 |
| 1989 | May 6 |
| 1990 | Jun 3 |
| 1991 | May 7 |
| 1992 | May 23 |
| 1993 | May 26 |
| 1994 | May 5 |
| 1995 | May 24 |
| 1996 | May 24 |
| 1997 | May 21 |
| 1998 | Jun 3 |
| 1999 | May 11 |
| 2000 | May 17 |
| 2001 | May 21 |
| 2002 | May 23 |
| 2003 | May 21 |
| 2004 | May 16 |
| 2005 | May 14 |
| 2006 | May 11 |
| 2007 | May 25 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1953 | 106 |
| 1954 | 127 |
| 1955 | 124 |
| 1956 | 99 |
| 1957 | 75 |
| 1958 | 82 |
| 1959 | 110 |
| 1960 | 96 |
| 1961 | 100 |
| 1962 | 108 |
| 1963 | 135 |
| 1964 | 71 |
| 1965 | 100 |
| 1966 | 119 |
| 1967 | 126 |
| 1968 | 128 |
| 1969 | 86 |
| 1970 | 104 |
| 1971 | 121 |
| 1972 | 76 |
| 1973 | 121 |
| 1974 | 101 |
| 1975 | 112 |
| 1976 | 113 |
| 1977 | 143 |
| 1978 | 124 |
| 1979 | 91 |
| 1980 | 125 |
| 1981 | 108 |
| 1982 | 87 |
| 1983 | 119 |
| 1984 | 95 |
| 1985 | 95 |
| 1986 | 111 |
| 1987 | 119 |
| 1988 | 125 |
| 1989 | 126 |
| 1990 | 110 |
| 1991 | 120 |
| 1993 | 108 |
| 1994 | 147 |
| 1995 | 105 |
| 1996 | 109 |
| 1997 | 120 |
| 1998 | 118 |
| 1999 | 121 |
| 2000 | 105 |
| 2001 | 113 |
| 2002 | 72 |
| 2003 | 117 |
| 2004 | 95 |
| 2005 | 130 |
| 2006 | 130 |
| 2007 | 111 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1953 | 11.3 °C |
| 1954 | 10.1 °C |
| 1955 | 12.4 °C |
| 1956 | 11.4 °C |
| 1957 | 12.3 °C |
| 1958 | 12.6 °C |
| 1959 | 12.3 °C |
| 1960 | 12.9 °C |
| 1961 | 13.1 °C |
| 1962 | 12.6 °C |
| 1963 | 13.3 °C |
| 1964 | 12.8 °C |
| 1965 | 11.5 °C |
| 1966 | 12.2 °C |
| 1967 | 12.5 °C |
| 1968 | 12.3 °C |
| 1969 | 12.9 °C |
| 1970 | 12.6 °C |
| 1971 | 12.8 °C |
| 1972 | 12.8 °C |
| 1973 | 12.6 °C |
| 1974 | 11.6 °C |
| 1975 | 12.2 °C |
| 1976 | 13.9 °C |
| 1977 | 13.2 °C |
| 1978 | 13.1 °C |
| 1979 | 12.0 °C |
| 1980 | 14.1 °C |
| 1981 | 13.8 °C |
| 1982 | 11.9 °C |
| 1983 | 12.7 °C |
| 1984 | 13.4 °C |
| 1985 | 12.2 °C |
| 1986 | 12.5 °C |
| 1987 | 14.3 °C |
| 1988 | 14.7 °C |
| 1989 | 13.8 °C |
| 1990 | 13.5 °C |
| 1991 | 14.1 °C |
| 1992 | 11.8 °C |
| 1993 | 11.7 °C |
| 1994 | 13.4 °C |
| 1995 | 12.5 °C |
| 1996 | 12.4 °C |
| 1997 | 13.2 °C |
| 1998 | 14.2 °C |
| 1999 | 12.7 °C |
| 2000 | 12.7 °C |
| 2001 | 14.0 °C |
| 2002 | 12.1 °C |
| 2003 | 14.0 °C |
| 2004 | 11.7 °C |
| 2005 | 12.9 °C |
| 2006 | 14.3 °C |
| 2007 | 13.5 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1953, Watrous's last spring frost has come about 2 days 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 Watrous (NOAA GHCN-Daily, from Environment and Climate Change Canada). Years with too many missing days are left out.