When to plant in Silver Bay, MN
Planting dates worked out from Silver Bay's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 30
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 18
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Sep 29
1 year in 10 by Sep 14
Frost-free days
133
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Wolf Ridge Elc · 10.8 km away · station 439 m, town 233 m. How we match towns to stations
The station sits 206 m higher than the town, so frost dates here may be off by a week or more. Check them against local experience.
This season
Plan your garden.
Planting dates for common crops
| Crop | Start indoors | Plant out or sow | Harvest from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | May 30 – Jun 13 | Jul 24 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 21 – Apr 4 | May 30 – Jun 13 | Jul 29 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 25 – Apr 1 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 8 |
| Peas | — | Apr 29 – May 27 | Jun 23 |
| Bush beans | — | May 23 – Jun 13 | Jul 12 |
| Carrot | — | May 9 – Jun 20 | Jul 8 |
| Beet | — | May 9 – Jun 20 | Jun 28 |
| Potato | — | May 9 – May 30 | Jul 18 |
| Kale | Mar 25 – Apr 8 | May 6 – May 20 | Jun 18 |
| Broccoli | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | Apr 29 – May 20 | Jun 28 |
| Cucumber | May 2 – May 9 | May 30 – Jun 13 | Jul 19 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | May 2 – May 9 | May 30 – Jun 13 | Jul 14 |
| Winter squash | May 2 – May 9 | May 30 – Jun 13 | Aug 18 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 23 – Jun 13 | Jul 22 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 29 – May 20 | Jul 28 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 15 – Oct 13 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 29 – May 27 | Jun 6 |
| Basil | Apr 18 – May 2 | May 30 – Jun 13 | Jul 26 |
Silver Bay'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 |
|---|---|
| 1994 | May 7 |
| 1995 | Jun 9 |
| 1996 | May 30 |
| 1997 | May 21 |
| 1998 | Jun 5 |
| 1999 | May 9 |
| 2000 | May 19 |
| 2001 | Apr 25 |
| 2002 | May 21 |
| 2003 | May 3 |
| 2004 | May 24 |
| 2005 | May 13 |
| 2006 | May 21 |
| 2007 | May 21 |
| 2008 | May 27 |
| 2009 | May 20 |
| 2010 | May 10 |
| 2011 | May 27 |
| 2012 | Apr 29 |
| 2013 | May 13 |
| 2014 | May 17 |
| 2015 | May 31 |
| 2016 | May 17 |
| 2017 | May 19 |
| 2018 | May 20 |
| 2019 | May 10 |
| 2020 | May 13 |
| 2021 | May 29 |
| 2022 | May 5 |
| 2023 | May 3 |
| 2024 | May 10 |
| 2025 | May 19 |
| 2026 | May 21 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1994 | 147 |
| 1996 | 121 |
| 1997 | 141 |
| 1998 | 117 |
| 1999 | 134 |
| 2000 | 127 |
| 2002 | 125 |
| 2003 | 148 |
| 2004 | 130 |
| 2005 | 146 |
| 2007 | 113 |
| 2008 | 128 |
| 2009 | 132 |
| 2010 | 144 |
| 2011 | 109 |
| 2012 | 141 |
| 2013 | 158 |
| 2014 | 143 |
| 2015 | 120 |
| 2016 | 144 |
| 2017 | 143 |
| 2018 | 131 |
| 2019 | 146 |
| 2020 | 117 |
| 2021 | 144 |
| 2023 | 156 |
| 2024 | 152 |
| 2025 | 141 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1994 | 13.1 °C |
| 1995 | 13.2 °C |
| 1996 | 11.9 °C |
| 1997 | 12.6 °C |
| 1998 | 14.5 °C |
| 1999 | 14.0 °C |
| 2000 | 12.7 °C |
| 2002 | 13.5 °C |
| 2004 | 12.3 °C |
| 2005 | 14.4 °C |
| 2006 | 14.8 °C |
| 2007 | 14.2 °C |
| 2008 | 13.0 °C |
| 2009 | 12.3 °C |
| 2010 | 13.9 °C |
| 2011 | 13.0 °C |
| 2012 | 14.1 °C |
| 2013 | 11.9 °C |
| 2014 | 12.0 °C |
| 2015 | 13.3 °C |
| 2016 | 13.2 °C |
| 2017 | 12.8 °C |
| 2018 | 13.1 °C |
| 2019 | 12.3 °C |
| 2020 | 13.0 °C |
| 2021 | 14.1 °C |
| 2022 | 12.0 °C |
| 2023 | 12.5 °C |
| 2024 | 13.4 °C |
| 2025 | 12.2 °C |
| 2026 | 11.9 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1994, Silver Bay's last spring frost has come about 2 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 Wolf Ridge Elc (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.