When to plant in Ely, MN
Planting dates worked out from Ely's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Jun 7
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 28
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Sep 19
1 year in 10 by Sep 6
Frost-free days
109
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Ely Minnesota · 2.2 km away · station 444 m, town 436 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 12 – Apr 26 | Jun 7 – Jun 21 | Aug 1 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 29 – Apr 12 | Jun 7 – Jun 21 | Aug 6 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 26 – Apr 2 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 9 |
| Peas | — | Apr 28 – May 26 | Jun 22 |
| Bush beans | — | May 31 – Jun 21 | Jul 20 |
| Carrot | — | May 8 – Jun 19 | Jul 7 |
| Beet | — | May 8 – Jun 19 | Jun 27 |
| Potato | — | May 8 – May 29 | Jul 17 |
| Kale | Mar 24 – Apr 7 | May 5 – May 19 | Jun 17 |
| Broccoli | Mar 19 – Apr 2 | Apr 30 – May 21 | Jun 29 |
| Cucumber | May 10 – May 17 | Jun 7 – Jun 21 | Jul 27 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | May 10 – May 17 | Jun 7 – Jun 21 | Jul 22 |
| Winter squash | May 10 – May 17 | Jun 7 – Jun 21 | Aug 26 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 31 – Jun 21 | Jul 30 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 30 – May 21 | Jul 29 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 5 – Oct 3 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 28 – May 26 | Jun 5 |
| Basil | Apr 26 – May 10 | Jun 7 – Jun 21 | Aug 3 |
Ely'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 |
|---|---|
| 2004 | May 28 |
| 2005 | May 16 |
| 2006 | May 22 |
| 2007 | May 28 |
| 2008 | May 28 |
| 2009 | Jun 6 |
| 2010 | May 15 |
| 2011 | Jun 2 |
| 2012 | May 31 |
| 2013 | Jun 3 |
| 2014 | May 17 |
| 2015 | Jun 1 |
| 2016 | Jun 8 |
| 2017 | May 25 |
| 2018 | May 20 |
| 2019 | Jun 2 |
| 2020 | Jun 13 |
| 2021 | May 29 |
| 2022 | May 23 |
| 2023 | May 17 |
| 2024 | May 14 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 2004 | 122 |
| 2005 | 129 |
| 2006 | 109 |
| 2007 | 108 |
| 2008 | 109 |
| 2009 | 84 |
| 2010 | 116 |
| 2011 | 94 |
| 2012 | 105 |
| 2013 | 104 |
| 2014 | 144 |
| 2015 | 119 |
| 2016 | 120 |
| 2017 | 133 |
| 2018 | 108 |
| 2019 | 116 |
| 2020 | 86 |
| 2021 | 115 |
| 2022 | 122 |
| 2023 | 118 |
| 2024 | 115 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 2004 | 11.8 °C |
| 2005 | 14.0 °C |
| 2006 | 14.2 °C |
| 2007 | 13.6 °C |
| 2008 | 12.2 °C |
| 2009 | 12.5 °C |
| 2010 | 14.1 °C |
| 2011 | 13.4 °C |
| 2012 | 14.0 °C |
| 2013 | 12.6 °C |
| 2014 | 12.6 °C |
| 2015 | 13.8 °C |
| 2016 | 13.7 °C |
| 2017 | 13.0 °C |
| 2018 | 13.5 °C |
| 2019 | 12.7 °C |
| 2020 | 13.4 °C |
| 2021 | 14.6 °C |
| 2022 | 12.9 °C |
| 2023 | 14.0 °C |
| 2024 | 14.3 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Ely Minnesota (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.