When to plant in Golden, CO
Planting dates worked out from Golden's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 18
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 6
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 5
1 year in 10 by Sep 21
Frost-free days
152
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Lakewood · 8.6 km away · station 1715 m, town 1730 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 23 – Apr 6 | May 18 – Jun 1 | Jul 12 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | May 18 – Jun 1 | Jul 17 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 4 – Mar 11 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | May 18 |
| Peas | — | Mar 25 – Apr 22 | May 19 |
| Bush beans | — | May 11 – Jun 1 | Jun 30 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 15 – May 27 | Jun 14 |
| Beet | — | Apr 12 – May 24 | Jun 1 |
| Potato | — | Apr 15 – May 6 | Jun 24 |
| Kale | Feb 25 – Mar 11 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | May 21 |
| Broccoli | Feb 25 – Mar 11 | Apr 8 – Apr 29 | Jun 7 |
| Cucumber | Apr 20 – Apr 27 | May 18 – Jun 1 | Jul 7 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 20 – Apr 27 | May 18 – Jun 1 | Jul 2 |
| Winter squash | Apr 20 – Apr 27 | May 18 – Jun 1 | Aug 6 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 11 – Jun 1 | Jul 10 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 8 – Apr 29 | Jul 7 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 21 – Oct 19 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 25 – Apr 22 | May 2 |
| Basil | Apr 6 – Apr 20 | May 18 – Jun 1 | Jul 14 |
Golden'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 | Apr 24 |
| 1964 | May 12 |
| 1965 | May 10 |
| 1966 | May 19 |
| 1967 | May 15 |
| 1968 | May 17 |
| 1969 | Apr 28 |
| 1970 | May 15 |
| 1971 | May 19 |
| 1972 | May 2 |
| 1973 | May 3 |
| 1974 | Jun 8 |
| 1975 | May 30 |
| 1976 | Apr 30 |
| 1977 | May 21 |
| 1978 | May 8 |
| 1979 | May 11 |
| 1980 | Apr 24 |
| 1981 | May 10 |
| 1982 | May 14 |
| 1983 | May 18 |
| 1984 | May 8 |
| 1985 | Apr 27 |
| 1986 | May 1 |
| 1987 | Apr 22 |
| 1988 | May 4 |
| 1989 | May 2 |
| 1990 | May 17 |
| 1991 | May 5 |
| 1992 | Apr 24 |
| 1994 | May 1 |
| 1995 | May 4 |
| 1996 | May 1 |
| 1999 | May 18 |
| 2004 | May 14 |
| 2005 | May 4 |
| 2006 | May 11 |
| 2007 | May 6 |
| 2008 | May 14 |
| 2009 | Apr 29 |
| 2010 | May 14 |
| 2012 | Apr 28 |
| 2013 | May 4 |
| 2014 | May 13 |
| 2015 | May 11 |
| 2016 | May 2 |
| 2017 | May 21 |
| 2018 | Apr 25 |
| 2019 | May 24 |
| 2020 | Apr 18 |
| 2021 | May 11 |
| 2022 | Apr 18 |
| 2023 | Apr 28 |
| 2024 | Apr 28 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1963 | 185 |
| 1964 | 130 |
| 1965 | 128 |
| 1966 | 134 |
| 1967 | 120 |
| 1968 | 139 |
| 1969 | 157 |
| 1970 | 129 |
| 1971 | 120 |
| 1972 | 165 |
| 1973 | 159 |
| 1974 | 95 |
| 1975 | 110 |
| 1976 | 159 |
| 1977 | 133 |
| 1978 | 135 |
| 1979 | 150 |
| 1980 | 176 |
| 1981 | 160 |
| 1982 | 147 |
| 1983 | 124 |
| 1984 | 139 |
| 1985 | 148 |
| 1987 | 170 |
| 1988 | 151 |
| 1989 | 155 |
| 1990 | 143 |
| 1991 | 152 |
| 1994 | 143 |
| 1995 | 139 |
| 1996 | 147 |
| 1999 | 132 |
| 2004 | 152 |
| 2005 | 155 |
| 2006 | 154 |
| 2007 | 162 |
| 2008 | 145 |
| 2009 | 155 |
| 2010 | 165 |
| 2012 | 159 |
| 2013 | 152 |
| 2014 | 121 |
| 2015 | 146 |
| 2016 | 157 |
| 2017 | 140 |
| 2018 | 167 |
| 2019 | 138 |
| 2020 | 143 |
| 2021 | 155 |
| 2022 | 192 |
| 2023 | 167 |
| 2024 | 185 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1963 | 18.1 °C |
| 1964 | 16.6 °C |
| 1965 | 15.9 °C |
| 1966 | 17.3 °C |
| 1967 | 15.6 °C |
| 1968 | 15.9 °C |
| 1969 | 17.4 °C |
| 1970 | 17.2 °C |
| 1971 | 16.7 °C |
| 1972 | 16.6 °C |
| 1973 | 15.4 °C |
| 1974 | 16.6 °C |
| 1975 | 15.5 °C |
| 1976 | 16.3 °C |
| 1977 | 18.2 °C |
| 1978 | 17.2 °C |
| 1979 | 16.9 °C |
| 1980 | 17.6 °C |
| 1981 | 17.8 °C |
| 1982 | 15.8 °C |
| 1983 | 15.6 °C |
| 1984 | 15.7 °C |
| 1985 | 17.0 °C |
| 1986 | 16.5 °C |
| 1987 | 16.7 °C |
| 1988 | 17.6 °C |
| 1989 | 16.5 °C |
| 1990 | 16.8 °C |
| 1991 | 16.7 °C |
| 1995 | 15.5 °C |
| 1996 | 16.9 °C |
| 1997 | 16.3 °C |
| 1999 | 15.4 °C |
| 2002 | 17.3 °C |
| 2003 | 16.8 °C |
| 2004 | 16.7 °C |
| 2005 | 17.6 °C |
| 2006 | 18.5 °C |
| 2007 | 18.2 °C |
| 2008 | 17.2 °C |
| 2009 | 16.6 °C |
| 2010 | 17.9 °C |
| 2012 | 18.9 °C |
| 2013 | 16.9 °C |
| 2014 | 16.7 °C |
| 2015 | 16.9 °C |
| 2016 | 17.2 °C |
| 2017 | 17.0 °C |
| 2018 | 18.1 °C |
| 2019 | 17.3 °C |
| 2020 | 18.1 °C |
| 2021 | 17.8 °C |
| 2022 | 18.4 °C |
| 2023 | 17.3 °C |
| 2024 | 18.8 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1963, Golden'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 Lakewood (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.