When to plant in Orchard Mesa, CO
Planting dates worked out from Orchard Mesa's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 2
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 16
1 year in 10 by Oct 3
Frost-free days
180
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Grand Junction 6ese · 5.4 km away · station 1451 m, town 1417 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 7 – Mar 21 | May 2 – May 16 | Jun 26 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 21 – Mar 7 | May 2 – May 16 | Jul 1 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 16 – Feb 23 | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | May 2 |
| Peas | — | Mar 9 – Apr 6 | May 3 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 25 – May 16 | Jun 14 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 30 – May 11 | May 29 |
| Beet | — | Mar 23 – May 4 | May 12 |
| Potato | — | Mar 30 – Apr 20 | Jun 8 |
| Kale | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | May 5 |
| Broccoli | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | Mar 23 – Apr 13 | May 22 |
| Cucumber | Apr 4 – Apr 11 | May 2 – May 16 | Jun 21 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 4 – Apr 11 | May 2 – May 16 | Jun 16 |
| Winter squash | Apr 4 – Apr 11 | May 2 – May 16 | Jul 21 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 25 – May 16 | Jun 24 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 23 – Apr 13 | Jun 21 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 2 – Oct 30 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 9 – Apr 6 | Apr 16 |
| Basil | Mar 21 – Apr 4 | May 2 – May 16 | Jun 28 |
Orchard Mesa'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 |
|---|---|
| 1964 | Apr 25 |
| 1965 | May 9 |
| 1966 | Apr 27 |
| 1967 | May 14 |
| 1968 | May 17 |
| 1969 | Apr 27 |
| 1970 | May 2 |
| 1971 | Apr 26 |
| 1972 | May 2 |
| 1973 | May 27 |
| 1974 | May 21 |
| 1975 | May 6 |
| 1976 | May 1 |
| 1977 | May 19 |
| 1978 | May 8 |
| 1979 | May 11 |
| 1980 | Apr 16 |
| 1981 | May 9 |
| 1982 | May 6 |
| 1983 | May 18 |
| 1984 | Apr 29 |
| 1985 | Apr 23 |
| 1986 | May 5 |
| 1987 | Apr 21 |
| 1988 | May 8 |
| 1989 | Apr 10 |
| 1990 | May 9 |
| 1991 | Apr 30 |
| 1992 | Mar 25 |
| 1993 | May 9 |
| 1994 | Apr 12 |
| 1995 | Apr 24 |
| 1996 | Apr 29 |
| 1997 | May 2 |
| 1998 | Apr 18 |
| 1999 | May 6 |
| 2000 | Apr 3 |
| 2001 | Apr 13 |
| 2002 | Apr 21 |
| 2003 | Apr 23 |
| 2004 | Mar 28 |
| 2005 | Apr 11 |
| 2006 | Apr 19 |
| 2007 | Apr 19 |
| 2008 | May 2 |
| 2009 | Apr 27 |
| 2012 | Apr 7 |
| 2013 | May 2 |
| 2014 | May 1 |
| 2015 | Apr 19 |
| 2016 | Apr 19 |
| 2017 | Apr 30 |
| 2018 | Apr 18 |
| 2019 | Apr 12 |
| 2020 | Apr 17 |
| 2021 | May 9 |
| 2022 | Apr 25 |
| 2023 | Apr 22 |
| 2024 | May 8 |
| 2025 | Apr 20 |
| 2026 | Apr 19 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1964 | 176 |
| 1965 | 131 |
| 1966 | 169 |
| 1967 | 153 |
| 1968 | 151 |
| 1969 | 167 |
| 1970 | 158 |
| 1971 | 144 |
| 1972 | 180 |
| 1973 | 149 |
| 1974 | 162 |
| 1976 | 158 |
| 1977 | 134 |
| 1978 | 134 |
| 1979 | 163 |
| 1980 | 184 |
| 1981 | 167 |
| 1982 | 148 |
| 1983 | 169 |
| 1984 | 152 |
| 1986 | 159 |
| 1987 | 200 |
| 1988 | 180 |
| 1989 | 200 |
| 1990 | 152 |
| 1991 | 180 |
| 1992 | 220 |
| 1993 | 170 |
| 1994 | 201 |
| 1995 | 180 |
| 1996 | 150 |
| 1997 | 163 |
| 1998 | 169 |
| 1999 | 145 |
| 2000 | 193 |
| 2001 | 181 |
| 2002 | 190 |
| 2003 | 170 |
| 2004 | 214 |
| 2005 | 202 |
| 2006 | 181 |
| 2007 | 181 |
| 2008 | 162 |
| 2009 | 156 |
| 2012 | 182 |
| 2013 | 154 |
| 2014 | 164 |
| 2015 | 199 |
| 2016 | 167 |
| 2017 | 166 |
| 2018 | 179 |
| 2019 | 181 |
| 2020 | 189 |
| 2021 | 158 |
| 2022 | 181 |
| 2023 | 189 |
| 2024 | 180 |
| 2025 | 190 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1962 | 20.4 °C |
| 1964 | 19.5 °C |
| 1965 | 18.4 °C |
| 1966 | 20.6 °C |
| 1967 | 19.2 °C |
| 1968 | 18.6 °C |
| 1969 | 20.9 °C |
| 1970 | 19.6 °C |
| 1971 | 19.9 °C |
| 1972 | 20.1 °C |
| 1973 | 18.6 °C |
| 1974 | 19.7 °C |
| 1976 | 19.4 °C |
| 1977 | 20.2 °C |
| 1978 | 19.1 °C |
| 1979 | 19.6 °C |
| 1980 | 20.0 °C |
| 1981 | 20.5 °C |
| 1982 | 19.4 °C |
| 1983 | 19.1 °C |
| 1984 | 19.3 °C |
| 1985 | 20.4 °C |
| 1986 | 19.6 °C |
| 1987 | 19.6 °C |
| 1988 | 20.4 °C |
| 1989 | 20.3 °C |
| 1990 | 20.7 °C |
| 1991 | 19.6 °C |
| 1992 | 20.4 °C |
| 1993 | 19.2 °C |
| 1994 | 21.7 °C |
| 1995 | 19.1 °C |
| 1996 | 20.9 °C |
| 1997 | 19.7 °C |
| 1998 | 20.1 °C |
| 1999 | 19.1 °C |
| 2000 | 21.8 °C |
| 2001 | 21.4 °C |
| 2002 | 21.4 °C |
| 2003 | 20.8 °C |
| 2004 | 20.4 °C |
| 2005 | 20.4 °C |
| 2006 | 21.0 °C |
| 2007 | 21.5 °C |
| 2008 | 19.7 °C |
| 2009 | 20.3 °C |
| 2011 | 20.8 °C |
| 2012 | 21.8 °C |
| 2013 | 20.6 °C |
| 2014 | 20.1 °C |
| 2015 | 20.2 °C |
| 2016 | 20.3 °C |
| 2017 | 20.9 °C |
| 2018 | 22.0 °C |
| 2019 | 20.7 °C |
| 2020 | 21.3 °C |
| 2021 | 21.6 °C |
| 2022 | 21.3 °C |
| 2023 | 20.9 °C |
| 2024 | 21.4 °C |
| 2025 | 21.6 °C |
| 2026 | 22.2 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1964, Orchard Mesa's last spring frost has come about 3 days 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 Grand Junction 6ese (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.