When to plant in Roscommon, MI
Planting dates worked out from Roscommon's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Jun 1
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 19
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Sep 23
1 year in 10 by Sep 4
Frost-free days
125
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Houghton Lake Roscommon Co Ap · 16.8 km away · station 350 m, town 346 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 | Apr 6 – Apr 20 | Jun 1 – Jun 15 | Jul 26 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | Jun 1 – Jun 15 | Jul 31 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 17 – Mar 24 | Apr 21 – May 5 | May 31 |
| Peas | — | Apr 17 – May 15 | Jun 11 |
| Bush beans | — | May 25 – Jun 15 | Jul 14 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 28 – Jun 9 | Jun 27 |
| Beet | — | Apr 25 – Jun 6 | Jun 14 |
| Potato | — | Apr 28 – May 19 | Jul 7 |
| Kale | Mar 13 – Mar 27 | Apr 24 – May 8 | Jun 6 |
| Broccoli | Mar 10 – Mar 24 | Apr 21 – May 12 | Jun 20 |
| Cucumber | May 4 – May 11 | Jun 1 – Jun 15 | Jul 21 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | May 4 – May 11 | Jun 1 – Jun 15 | Jul 16 |
| Winter squash | May 4 – May 11 | Jun 1 – Jun 15 | Aug 20 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 25 – Jun 15 | Jul 24 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 21 – May 12 | Jul 20 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 9 – Oct 7 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 17 – May 15 | May 25 |
| Basil | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 1 – Jun 15 | Jul 28 |
Roscommon'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 |
|---|---|
| 1965 | Apr 29 |
| 1966 | Jun 2 |
| 1967 | May 22 |
| 1968 | May 22 |
| 1969 | Jun 21 |
| 1970 | May 7 |
| 1971 | May 22 |
| 1972 | Jun 11 |
| 1973 | May 18 |
| 1974 | May 10 |
| 1975 | Apr 28 |
| 1976 | May 19 |
| 1977 | Jun 3 |
| 1978 | May 7 |
| 1979 | May 22 |
| 1980 | Jun 10 |
| 1981 | May 18 |
| 1982 | Jun 4 |
| 1983 | May 27 |
| 1984 | May 16 |
| 1985 | May 29 |
| 1986 | May 4 |
| 1987 | Jun 10 |
| 1988 | May 14 |
| 1989 | May 9 |
| 1990 | May 12 |
| 1991 | May 8 |
| 1992 | May 27 |
| 1993 | Apr 27 |
| 1994 | May 13 |
| 1995 | May 6 |
| 1996 | May 30 |
| 1997 | May 22 |
| 1998 | Jun 5 |
| 1999 | May 13 |
| 2000 | May 20 |
| 2001 | May 31 |
| 2002 | May 25 |
| 2003 | Jun 1 |
| 2004 | May 4 |
| 2005 | May 17 |
| 2006 | May 23 |
| 2007 | May 21 |
| 2008 | May 28 |
| 2009 | Jun 4 |
| 2010 | May 10 |
| 2011 | May 5 |
| 2012 | May 17 |
| 2013 | May 25 |
| 2014 | May 17 |
| 2015 | Jun 2 |
| 2016 | May 18 |
| 2017 | May 9 |
| 2018 | May 11 |
| 2019 | May 21 |
| 2020 | May 13 |
| 2021 | May 30 |
| 2022 | May 8 |
| 2023 | May 26 |
| 2024 | Apr 26 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1965 | 134 |
| 1966 | 114 |
| 1967 | 111 |
| 1968 | 135 |
| 1969 | 99 |
| 1970 | 144 |
| 1971 | 124 |
| 1972 | 119 |
| 1973 | 125 |
| 1974 | 116 |
| 1975 | 138 |
| 1976 | 105 |
| 1977 | 124 |
| 1978 | 143 |
| 1979 | 122 |
| 1980 | 107 |
| 1981 | 127 |
| 1982 | 85 |
| 1983 | 134 |
| 1984 | 133 |
| 1985 | 134 |
| 1986 | 134 |
| 1987 | 84 |
| 1988 | 144 |
| 1989 | 128 |
| 1990 | 128 |
| 1991 | 135 |
| 1992 | 118 |
| 1993 | 154 |
| 1994 | 142 |
| 1995 | 169 |
| 1996 | 125 |
| 1997 | 104 |
| 1998 | 108 |
| 1999 | 130 |
| 2000 | 127 |
| 2001 | 120 |
| 2002 | 113 |
| 2003 | 120 |
| 2004 | 108 |
| 2005 | 142 |
| 2006 | 125 |
| 2007 | 117 |
| 2008 | 104 |
| 2009 | 87 |
| 2010 | 131 |
| 2011 | 133 |
| 2012 | 133 |
| 2013 | 111 |
| 2014 | 118 |
| 2015 | 127 |
| 2016 | 144 |
| 2017 | 115 |
| 2018 | 158 |
| 2019 | 139 |
| 2020 | 120 |
| 2021 | 140 |
| 2022 | 137 |
| 2023 | 138 |
| 2024 | 161 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1965 | 13.7 °C |
| 1966 | 13.8 °C |
| 1967 | 13.7 °C |
| 1968 | 14.7 °C |
| 1969 | 14.3 °C |
| 1970 | 14.9 °C |
| 1971 | 14.3 °C |
| 1972 | 13.8 °C |
| 1973 | 14.9 °C |
| 1974 | 13.9 °C |
| 1975 | 14.4 °C |
| 1976 | 14.6 °C |
| 1977 | 15.4 °C |
| 1978 | 14.4 °C |
| 1979 | 14.1 °C |
| 1980 | 14.6 °C |
| 1981 | 14.6 °C |
| 1982 | 14.1 °C |
| 1983 | 14.8 °C |
| 1984 | 14.8 °C |
| 1985 | 14.9 °C |
| 1986 | 15.1 °C |
| 1987 | 16.4 °C |
| 1988 | 16.1 °C |
| 1989 | 14.5 °C |
| 1990 | 14.6 °C |
| 1991 | 16.3 °C |
| 1992 | 13.4 °C |
| 1993 | 14.6 °C |
| 1994 | 15.4 °C |
| 1995 | 15.9 °C |
| 1996 | 13.8 °C |
| 1997 | 13.3 °C |
| 1998 | 15.8 °C |
| 1999 | 15.2 °C |
| 2000 | 14.4 °C |
| 2001 | 15.2 °C |
| 2002 | 14.9 °C |
| 2003 | 14.0 °C |
| 2004 | 14.4 °C |
| 2005 | 15.7 °C |
| 2006 | 15.1 °C |
| 2007 | 15.1 °C |
| 2008 | 14.8 °C |
| 2009 | 13.7 °C |
| 2010 | 16.2 °C |
| 2011 | 15.5 °C |
| 2012 | 16.1 °C |
| 2013 | 14.8 °C |
| 2014 | 14.2 °C |
| 2015 | 15.3 °C |
| 2016 | 15.6 °C |
| 2017 | 15.5 °C |
| 2018 | 15.7 °C |
| 2019 | 14.6 °C |
| 2020 | 15.1 °C |
| 2021 | 15.9 °C |
| 2022 | 15.2 °C |
| 2023 | 15.1 °C |
| 2024 | 16.1 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1965, Roscommon's last spring frost has come about 1 day earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 2 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Houghton Lake Roscommon Co Ap (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.