When to plant in Basalt, CO
Planting dates worked out from Basalt's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Jun 15
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Jun 5
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Sep 19
1 year in 10 by Sep 7
Frost-free days
106
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Aspen Pitkin Co Ap Sardy Fld · 20.8 km away · station 2340 m, town 2015 m. How we match towns to stations
The station sits 325 m higher than the town, so frost dates here may be off by a week or more. Check them against local experience.
This season
Plan your garden.
Planting dates for common crops
| Crop | Start indoors | Plant out or sow | Harvest from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 15 – Jun 29 | Aug 9 |
| Sweet pepper | Apr 6 – Apr 20 | Jun 15 – Jun 29 | Aug 14 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Apr 3 – Apr 10 | May 8 – May 22 | Jun 17 |
| Peas | — | Apr 26 – May 24 | Jun 20 |
| Bush beans | — | Jun 8 – Jun 29 | Jul 28 |
| Carrot | — | May 15 – Jun 26 | Jul 14 |
| Beet | — | May 8 – Jun 19 | Jun 27 |
| Potato | — | May 15 – Jun 5 | Jul 24 |
| Kale | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | May 8 – May 22 | Jun 20 |
| Broccoli | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | May 8 – May 29 | Jul 7 |
| Cucumber | May 18 – May 25 | Jun 15 – Jun 29 | Aug 4 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | May 18 – May 25 | Jun 15 – Jun 29 | Jul 30 |
| Winter squash | May 18 – May 25 | Jun 15 – Jun 29 | Sep 3 |
| Sweet corn | — | Jun 8 – Jun 29 | Aug 7 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | May 8 – May 29 | Aug 6 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 5 – Oct 3 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 26 – May 24 | Jun 3 |
| Basil | May 4 – May 18 | Jun 15 – Jun 29 | Aug 11 |
Basalt'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 |
|---|---|
| 1999 | Jun 6 |
| 2000 | Jun 17 |
| 2001 | Jun 15 |
| 2002 | May 26 |
| 2003 | Jun 8 |
| 2004 | Jun 22 |
| 2005 | Jun 11 |
| 2006 | May 31 |
| 2007 | Jun 8 |
| 2008 | Jun 13 |
| 2009 | May 11 |
| 2010 | Jun 12 |
| 2011 | May 31 |
| 2012 | Jun 11 |
| 2013 | Jun 1 |
| 2014 | Jun 15 |
| 2015 | May 29 |
| 2016 | May 29 |
| 2017 | Jun 13 |
| 2018 | May 15 |
| 2019 | Jun 9 |
| 2020 | May 25 |
| 2021 | May 25 |
| 2022 | Jun 21 |
| 2023 | May 8 |
| 2024 | May 24 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 90 |
| 2000 | 97 |
| 2001 | 84 |
| 2002 | 114 |
| 2003 | 93 |
| 2004 | 66 |
| 2005 | 95 |
| 2006 | 107 |
| 2007 | 108 |
| 2008 | 91 |
| 2009 | 132 |
| 2010 | 86 |
| 2011 | 127 |
| 2012 | 106 |
| 2013 | 110 |
| 2014 | 108 |
| 2015 | 146 |
| 2016 | 109 |
| 2017 | 102 |
| 2018 | 128 |
| 2019 | 103 |
| 2020 | 105 |
| 2021 | 118 |
| 2022 | 104 |
| 2023 | 137 |
| 2024 | 116 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 11.3 °C |
| 2000 | 13.6 °C |
| 2001 | 13.2 °C |
| 2002 | 13.7 °C |
| 2003 | 13.0 °C |
| 2004 | 12.3 °C |
| 2005 | 12.7 °C |
| 2006 | 13.1 °C |
| 2007 | 13.3 °C |
| 2008 | 11.6 °C |
| 2009 | 11.5 °C |
| 2010 | 11.4 °C |
| 2011 | 12.6 °C |
| 2012 | 14.1 °C |
| 2013 | 12.5 °C |
| 2014 | 12.8 °C |
| 2015 | 13.1 °C |
| 2016 | 13.2 °C |
| 2017 | 13.4 °C |
| 2018 | 14.7 °C |
| 2019 | 13.3 °C |
| 2020 | 14.0 °C |
| 2021 | 14.3 °C |
| 2022 | 13.7 °C |
| 2023 | 12.7 °C |
| 2024 | 13.1 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Aspen Pitkin Co Ap Sardy Fld (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.