When to plant in Carrington, ND
Planting dates worked out from Carrington's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 21
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 12
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Sep 27
1 year in 10 by Sep 17
Frost-free days
134
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Carrington 4 N · 6.6 km away · station 476 m, town 484 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 26 – Apr 9 | May 21 – Jun 4 | Jul 15 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 12 – Mar 26 | May 21 – Jun 4 | Jul 20 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 16 – Mar 23 | Apr 20 – May 4 | May 30 |
| Peas | — | Apr 20 – May 18 | Jun 14 |
| Bush beans | — | May 14 – Jun 4 | Jul 3 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 28 – Jun 9 | Jun 27 |
| Beet | — | Apr 28 – Jun 9 | Jun 17 |
| Potato | — | Apr 28 – May 19 | Jul 7 |
| Kale | Mar 16 – Mar 30 | Apr 27 – May 11 | Jun 9 |
| Broccoli | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Apr 20 – May 11 | Jun 19 |
| Cucumber | Apr 23 – Apr 30 | May 21 – Jun 4 | Jul 10 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 23 – Apr 30 | May 21 – Jun 4 | Jul 5 |
| Winter squash | Apr 23 – Apr 30 | May 21 – Jun 4 | Aug 9 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 14 – Jun 4 | Jul 13 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 20 – May 11 | Jul 19 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 13 – Oct 11 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 20 – May 18 | May 28 |
| Basil | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | May 21 – Jun 4 | Jul 17 |
Carrington'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 |
|---|---|
| 1968 | May 23 |
| 1969 | Jun 20 |
| 1970 | May 5 |
| 1971 | May 20 |
| 1972 | May 9 |
| 1973 | May 16 |
| 1974 | May 15 |
| 1976 | May 7 |
| 1977 | May 2 |
| 1979 | Jun 1 |
| 1980 | May 12 |
| 1981 | May 9 |
| 1982 | May 8 |
| 1983 | May 16 |
| 1984 | May 26 |
| 1985 | Apr 27 |
| 1986 | May 17 |
| 1987 | May 22 |
| 1988 | May 16 |
| 1989 | May 6 |
| 1990 | May 18 |
| 1991 | May 7 |
| 1992 | May 23 |
| 1993 | May 20 |
| 1994 | May 5 |
| 1995 | May 17 |
| 2004 | May 16 |
| 2009 | May 17 |
| 2010 | May 9 |
| 2011 | May 13 |
| 2012 | Apr 27 |
| 2016 | May 14 |
| 2017 | May 1 |
| 2018 | May 10 |
| 2019 | May 21 |
| 2020 | May 15 |
| 2021 | May 29 |
| 2022 | May 24 |
| 2023 | May 3 |
| 2024 | May 1 |
| 2025 | May 8 |
| 2026 | May 21 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1968 | 82 |
| 1969 | 97 |
| 1970 | 130 |
| 1971 | 120 |
| 1972 | 121 |
| 1973 | 122 |
| 1974 | 107 |
| 1976 | 136 |
| 1981 | 130 |
| 1982 | 110 |
| 1983 | 124 |
| 1985 | 148 |
| 1987 | 132 |
| 1988 | 138 |
| 1989 | 127 |
| 1990 | 120 |
| 1991 | 132 |
| 1993 | 119 |
| 1994 | 143 |
| 1995 | 124 |
| 2004 | 133 |
| 2009 | 143 |
| 2010 | 131 |
| 2012 | 147 |
| 2016 | 144 |
| 2017 | 160 |
| 2018 | 140 |
| 2019 | 134 |
| 2020 | 115 |
| 2021 | 139 |
| 2022 | 134 |
| 2023 | 156 |
| 2024 | 165 |
| 2025 | 150 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1967 | 14.9 °C |
| 1968 | 14.0 °C |
| 1969 | 14.8 °C |
| 1970 | 14.7 °C |
| 1971 | 14.8 °C |
| 1972 | 15.1 °C |
| 1973 | 15.3 °C |
| 1974 | 13.7 °C |
| 1979 | 13.0 °C |
| 1980 | 15.5 °C |
| 1982 | 14.3 °C |
| 1984 | 14.8 °C |
| 1985 | 14.3 °C |
| 1986 | 14.9 °C |
| 1987 | 16.8 °C |
| 1988 | 17.0 °C |
| 1989 | 15.5 °C |
| 1990 | 15.5 °C |
| 1991 | 16.2 °C |
| 1993 | 13.7 °C |
| 1994 | 15.7 °C |
| 1995 | 14.6 °C |
| 1999 | 15.3 °C |
| 2003 | 15.0 °C |
| 2004 | 13.6 °C |
| 2008 | 14.4 °C |
| 2009 | 14.4 °C |
| 2010 | 15.8 °C |
| 2011 | 15.3 °C |
| 2012 | 16.6 °C |
| 2015 | 16.6 °C |
| 2016 | 15.2 °C |
| 2017 | 14.9 °C |
| 2018 | 15.0 °C |
| 2019 | 14.3 °C |
| 2020 | 15.1 °C |
| 2021 | 16.3 °C |
| 2022 | 14.4 °C |
| 2023 | 15.1 °C |
| 2024 | 15.4 °C |
| 2025 | 15.3 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1968, Carrington's last spring frost has come about 1 day earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 6 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Carrington 4 N (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.