When to plant in Perham, MN
Planting dates worked out from Perham's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 19
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 7
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 6
1 year in 10 by Sep 24
Frost-free days
150
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Ottertail · 20.1 km away · station 411 m, town 417 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 24 – Apr 7 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Jul 13 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 10 – Mar 24 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Jul 18 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 15 – Mar 22 | Apr 19 – May 3 | May 29 |
| Peas | — | Apr 19 – May 17 | Jun 13 |
| Bush beans | — | May 12 – Jun 2 | Jul 1 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 26 – Jun 7 | Jun 25 |
| Beet | — | Apr 26 – Jun 7 | Jun 15 |
| Potato | — | Apr 26 – May 17 | Jul 5 |
| Kale | Mar 15 – Mar 29 | Apr 26 – May 10 | Jun 8 |
| Broccoli | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | Apr 19 – May 10 | Jun 18 |
| Cucumber | Apr 21 – Apr 28 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Jul 8 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 21 – Apr 28 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Jul 3 |
| Winter squash | Apr 21 – Apr 28 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Aug 7 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 12 – Jun 2 | Jul 11 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 19 – May 10 | Jul 18 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 22 – Oct 20 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 19 – May 17 | May 27 |
| Basil | Apr 7 – Apr 21 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Jul 15 |
Perham'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 |
|---|---|
| 1962 | Apr 23 |
| 1963 | May 23 |
| 1964 | Apr 22 |
| 1965 | May 28 |
| 1966 | May 13 |
| 1967 | May 20 |
| 1968 | May 18 |
| 1969 | May 20 |
| 1970 | May 11 |
| 1971 | May 12 |
| 1972 | Apr 26 |
| 1973 | May 4 |
| 1974 | May 6 |
| 1975 | May 2 |
| 1976 | May 7 |
| 1977 | May 7 |
| 1978 | May 1 |
| 1979 | May 15 |
| 1980 | May 15 |
| 1981 | May 18 |
| 1982 | May 7 |
| 1983 | May 16 |
| 1984 | May 8 |
| 1985 | Apr 26 |
| 1986 | May 2 |
| 1987 | Apr 22 |
| 1988 | May 13 |
| 1989 | May 7 |
| 1990 | May 18 |
| 1991 | May 5 |
| 1992 | May 25 |
| 1993 | Apr 26 |
| 1994 | May 7 |
| 1995 | Apr 28 |
| 1996 | May 12 |
| 1997 | May 21 |
| 1998 | Apr 27 |
| 1999 | Apr 24 |
| 2000 | May 13 |
| 2001 | Apr 24 |
| 2002 | May 19 |
| 2013 | May 13 |
| 2014 | May 17 |
| 2015 | Apr 26 |
| 2016 | May 15 |
| 2017 | Apr 30 |
| 2018 | Apr 29 |
| 2019 | May 11 |
| 2020 | May 13 |
| 2021 | May 12 |
| 2022 | May 3 |
| 2023 | Apr 28 |
| 2024 | Apr 25 |
| 2025 | Apr 30 |
| 2026 | May 12 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1962 | 149 |
| 1963 | 158 |
| 1964 | 145 |
| 1965 | 120 |
| 1966 | 135 |
| 1967 | 126 |
| 1968 | 137 |
| 1969 | 140 |
| 1970 | 124 |
| 1971 | 132 |
| 1972 | 155 |
| 1973 | 138 |
| 1974 | 137 |
| 1975 | 133 |
| 1976 | 138 |
| 1977 | 146 |
| 1978 | 164 |
| 1979 | 143 |
| 1980 | 130 |
| 1981 | 132 |
| 1982 | 161 |
| 1983 | 144 |
| 1984 | 140 |
| 1985 | 150 |
| 1986 | 159 |
| 1987 | 162 |
| 1988 | 143 |
| 1989 | 138 |
| 1990 | 127 |
| 1991 | 144 |
| 1992 | 119 |
| 1993 | 155 |
| 1994 | 170 |
| 1995 | 145 |
| 1996 | 143 |
| 1997 | 147 |
| 1998 | 157 |
| 1999 | 159 |
| 2000 | 133 |
| 2001 | 164 |
| 2002 | 139 |
| 2013 | 158 |
| 2014 | 144 |
| 2015 | 172 |
| 2016 | 146 |
| 2017 | 164 |
| 2018 | 152 |
| 2019 | 153 |
| 2020 | 143 |
| 2021 | 161 |
| 2022 | 163 |
| 2023 | 181 |
| 2024 | 172 |
| 2025 | 176 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1961 | 16.6 °C |
| 1962 | 14.6 °C |
| 1963 | 16.7 °C |
| 1964 | 16.1 °C |
| 1965 | 14.3 °C |
| 1966 | 15.0 °C |
| 1967 | 14.6 °C |
| 1968 | 15.4 °C |
| 1969 | 15.8 °C |
| 1970 | 15.8 °C |
| 1971 | 15.1 °C |
| 1972 | 15.1 °C |
| 1973 | 15.7 °C |
| 1974 | 14.8 °C |
| 1975 | 15.5 °C |
| 1976 | 17.6 °C |
| 1977 | 17.2 °C |
| 1978 | 16.7 °C |
| 1979 | 14.5 °C |
| 1980 | 16.8 °C |
| 1981 | 16.3 °C |
| 1982 | 15.6 °C |
| 1983 | 16.8 °C |
| 1984 | 16.5 °C |
| 1985 | 15.7 °C |
| 1986 | 16.4 °C |
| 1987 | 18.3 °C |
| 1988 | 18.8 °C |
| 1989 | 16.6 °C |
| 1990 | 16.5 °C |
| 1991 | 17.1 °C |
| 1992 | 14.9 °C |
| 1993 | 14.8 °C |
| 1994 | 16.4 °C |
| 1995 | 16.3 °C |
| 1996 | 15.6 °C |
| 1997 | 15.8 °C |
| 1998 | 17.9 °C |
| 1999 | 16.7 °C |
| 2000 | 16.0 °C |
| 2001 | 17.0 °C |
| 2002 | 16.5 °C |
| 2014 | 14.5 °C |
| 2015 | 15.8 °C |
| 2016 | 15.9 °C |
| 2017 | 15.8 °C |
| 2018 | 15.2 °C |
| 2019 | 15.2 °C |
| 2020 | 15.2 °C |
| 2021 | 16.5 °C |
| 2022 | 15.1 °C |
| 2023 | 16.2 °C |
| 2024 | 16.2 °C |
| 2025 | 15.9 °C |
| 2026 | 16.2 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1962, Perham's last spring frost has come about 1 day 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 Ottertail (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.