When to plant in Portage, MI
Planting dates worked out from Portage's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 13
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 30
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 16
1 year in 10 by Oct 4
Frost-free days
170
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Kalamazoo Battle Creek Intl Ap · 4.1 km away · station 263 m, town 268 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 18 – Apr 1 | May 13 – May 27 | Jul 7 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 4 – Mar 18 | May 13 – May 27 | Jul 12 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 26 – Mar 5 | Apr 2 – Apr 16 | May 12 |
| Peas | — | Mar 31 – Apr 28 | May 25 |
| Bush beans | — | May 6 – May 27 | Jun 25 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 9 – May 21 | Jun 8 |
| Beet | — | Apr 8 – May 20 | May 28 |
| Potato | — | Apr 9 – Apr 30 | Jun 18 |
| Kale | Feb 24 – Mar 10 | Apr 7 – Apr 21 | May 20 |
| Broccoli | Feb 19 – Mar 5 | Apr 2 – Apr 23 | Jun 1 |
| Cucumber | Apr 15 – Apr 22 | May 13 – May 27 | Jul 2 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 15 – Apr 22 | May 13 – May 27 | Jun 27 |
| Winter squash | Apr 15 – Apr 22 | May 13 – May 27 | Aug 1 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 6 – May 27 | Jul 5 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 2 – Apr 23 | Jul 1 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 2 – Oct 30 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 31 – Apr 28 | May 8 |
| Basil | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | May 13 – May 27 | Jul 9 |
Portage'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 |
|---|---|
| 1998 | Apr 28 |
| 1999 | Apr 26 |
| 2000 | Apr 13 |
| 2001 | Apr 19 |
| 2002 | May 20 |
| 2003 | Apr 27 |
| 2004 | May 4 |
| 2005 | May 4 |
| 2006 | Apr 26 |
| 2007 | Apr 19 |
| 2008 | Apr 30 |
| 2009 | Apr 23 |
| 2010 | May 10 |
| 2011 | May 4 |
| 2012 | Apr 29 |
| 2013 | May 13 |
| 2014 | May 16 |
| 2015 | Apr 26 |
| 2016 | Apr 14 |
| 2017 | May 8 |
| 2018 | Apr 30 |
| 2019 | Apr 21 |
| 2020 | May 12 |
| 2021 | May 12 |
| 2022 | Apr 27 |
| 2023 | Apr 27 |
| 2024 | Apr 25 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 175 |
| 1999 | 170 |
| 2000 | 198 |
| 2001 | 170 |
| 2002 | 145 |
| 2003 | 157 |
| 2004 | 153 |
| 2005 | 174 |
| 2006 | 168 |
| 2007 | 191 |
| 2008 | 156 |
| 2009 | 170 |
| 2010 | 146 |
| 2011 | 170 |
| 2012 | 165 |
| 2013 | 162 |
| 2014 | 146 |
| 2015 | 173 |
| 2016 | 193 |
| 2017 | 170 |
| 2018 | 168 |
| 2019 | 187 |
| 2020 | 156 |
| 2021 | 164 |
| 2022 | 163 |
| 2023 | 178 |
| 2024 | 184 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 18.3 °C |
| 1999 | 18.1 °C |
| 2000 | 16.6 °C |
| 2001 | 17.0 °C |
| 2002 | 17.8 °C |
| 2003 | 17.0 °C |
| 2004 | 17.9 °C |
| 2005 | 19.5 °C |
| 2006 | 17.9 °C |
| 2007 | 18.3 °C |
| 2008 | 17.5 °C |
| 2009 | 17.1 °C |
| 2010 | 19.1 °C |
| 2011 | 18.1 °C |
| 2012 | 18.9 °C |
| 2013 | 17.6 °C |
| 2014 | 17.3 °C |
| 2015 | 18.1 °C |
| 2016 | 18.5 °C |
| 2017 | 18.3 °C |
| 2018 | 18.6 °C |
| 2019 | 18.5 °C |
| 2020 | 18.0 °C |
| 2021 | 18.9 °C |
| 2022 | 18.6 °C |
| 2023 | 18.5 °C |
| 2024 | 19.4 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Kalamazoo Battle Creek Intl Ap (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.