When to plant in Vail, CO
Planting dates worked out from Vail's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Jul 9
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Jun 23
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Sep 6
1 year in 10 by Aug 28
Frost-free days
83
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Vail · 1.7 km away · station 2529 m, town 2496 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 Season likely too short |
May 14 – May 28 | Jul 9 – Jul 23 | Sep 2 |
| Sweet pepper Season likely too short |
Apr 30 – May 14 | Jul 9 – Jul 23 | Sep 7 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Apr 21 – Apr 28 | May 26 – Jun 9 | Jul 5 |
| Peas | — | May 12 – Jun 9 | Jul 6 |
| Bush beans | — | Jul 2 – Jul 23 | Aug 21 |
| Carrot | — | Jun 2 – Jul 14 | Aug 1 |
| Beet | — | May 26 – Jul 7 | Jul 15 |
| Potato | — | Jun 2 – Jun 23 | Aug 11 |
| Kale | Apr 14 – Apr 28 | May 26 – Jun 9 | Jul 8 |
| Broccoli | Apr 14 – Apr 28 | May 26 – Jun 16 | Jul 25 |
| Cucumber | Jun 11 – Jun 18 | Jul 9 – Jul 23 | Aug 28 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Jun 11 – Jun 18 | Jul 9 – Jul 23 | Aug 23 |
| Winter squash Season likely too short |
Jun 11 – Jun 18 | Jul 9 – Jul 23 | Sep 27 |
| Sweet corn Season likely too short |
— | Jul 2 – Jul 23 | Aug 31 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | May 26 – Jun 16 | Aug 24 |
| Garlic | — | Aug 23 – Sep 20 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | May 12 – Jun 9 | Jun 19 |
| Basil Season likely too short |
May 28 – Jun 11 | Jul 9 – Jul 23 | Sep 4 |
Vail'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 |
|---|---|
| 1992 | Jul 3 |
| 1993 | Jul 7 |
| 1994 | Jul 7 |
| 1995 | Jun 26 |
| 1996 | Jun 7 |
| 1997 | Jul 14 |
| 1998 | Jun 26 |
| 1999 | Jun 11 |
| 2000 | Jun 22 |
| 2001 | Jun 17 |
| 2002 | Jun 13 |
| 2003 | Jul 13 |
| 2004 | Jun 29 |
| 2005 | Jun 15 |
| 2007 | Jun 11 |
| 2008 | Jun 15 |
| 2009 | Jun 16 |
| 2010 | Jun 18 |
| 2011 | Jun 16 |
| 2013 | Jun 24 |
| 2014 | Jun 20 |
| 2015 | Jun 8 |
| 2016 | Jun 14 |
| 2017 | Jun 14 |
| 2018 | Jul 1 |
| 2019 | Jun 24 |
| 2020 | Jul 12 |
| 2021 | Jun 2 |
| 2022 | Jun 21 |
| 2023 | Jul 12 |
| 2024 | Jun 2 |
| 2025 | Jun 8 |
| 2026 | Jun 12 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1994 | 15 |
| 1997 | 64 |
| 1998 | 87 |
| 1999 | 84 |
| 2000 | 93 |
| 2001 | 81 |
| 2002 | 92 |
| 2003 | 59 |
| 2004 | 59 |
| 2007 | 91 |
| 2008 | 78 |
| 2010 | 80 |
| 2011 | 86 |
| 2013 | 87 |
| 2014 | 83 |
| 2015 | 92 |
| 2016 | 85 |
| 2017 | 94 |
| 2018 | 71 |
| 2019 | 64 |
| 2020 | 4 |
| 2021 | 94 |
| 2023 | 10 |
| 2024 | 87 |
| 2025 | 69 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1985 | 10.9 °C |
| 1990 | 11.5 °C |
| 1991 | 10.9 °C |
| 1992 | 11.0 °C |
| 1993 | 9.3 °C |
| 1994 | 10.6 °C |
| 1998 | 10.3 °C |
| 1999 | 9.5 °C |
| 2000 | 11.4 °C |
| 2001 | 10.9 °C |
| 2002 | 11.6 °C |
| 2003 | 10.6 °C |
| 2004 | 9.9 °C |
| 2005 | 10.2 °C |
| 2007 | 11.3 °C |
| 2008 | 9.4 °C |
| 2009 | 9.6 °C |
| 2010 | 10.2 °C |
| 2011 | 9.9 °C |
| 2013 | 10.6 °C |
| 2014 | 10.1 °C |
| 2015 | 10.4 °C |
| 2016 | 10.3 °C |
| 2017 | 10.6 °C |
| 2018 | 11.3 °C |
| 2019 | 11.9 °C |
| 2020 | 10.6 °C |
| 2021 | 10.9 °C |
| 2022 | 10.8 °C |
| 2023 | 10.3 °C |
| 2024 | 10.8 °C |
| 2025 | 10.8 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1992, Vail's last spring frost has come about 4 days earlier per decade, on average. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Vail (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.