When to plant in Watford City, ND
Planting dates worked out from Watford City's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Jun 4
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 20
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Sep 20
1 year in 10 by Sep 9
Frost-free days
120
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Watford City · 0.5 km away · station 661 m, town 646 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 9 – Apr 23 | Jun 4 – Jun 18 | Jul 29 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 26 – Apr 9 | Jun 4 – Jun 18 | Aug 3 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 18 – Mar 25 | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jun 1 |
| Peas | — | Apr 19 – May 17 | Jun 13 |
| Bush beans | — | May 28 – Jun 18 | Jul 17 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 29 – Jun 10 | Jun 28 |
| Beet | — | Apr 28 – Jun 9 | Jun 17 |
| Potato | — | Apr 29 – May 20 | Jul 8 |
| Kale | Mar 15 – Mar 29 | Apr 26 – May 10 | Jun 8 |
| Broccoli | Mar 11 – Mar 25 | Apr 22 – May 13 | Jun 21 |
| Cucumber | May 7 – May 14 | Jun 4 – Jun 18 | Jul 24 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | May 7 – May 14 | Jun 4 – Jun 18 | Jul 19 |
| Winter squash | May 7 – May 14 | Jun 4 – Jun 18 | Aug 23 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 28 – Jun 18 | Jul 27 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 22 – May 13 | Jul 21 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 6 – Oct 4 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 19 – May 17 | May 27 |
| Basil | Apr 23 – May 7 | Jun 4 – Jun 18 | Jul 31 |
Watford City'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 |
|---|---|
| 1912 | Jun 16 |
| 1920 | May 27 |
| 1921 | May 16 |
| 1922 | May 12 |
| 1923 | May 16 |
| 1924 | May 25 |
| 1925 | May 17 |
| 1926 | Jun 2 |
| 1927 | May 11 |
| 1928 | Jun 1 |
| 1929 | May 20 |
| 1930 | May 24 |
| 1931 | May 22 |
| 1932 | May 28 |
| 1933 | May 26 |
| 1934 | Jul 6 |
| 1935 | May 23 |
| 1936 | May 13 |
| 1937 | May 13 |
| 1938 | May 9 |
| 1939 | May 11 |
| 1940 | May 1 |
| 1941 | May 9 |
| 1942 | Jun 23 |
| 1943 | Jun 4 |
| 1944 | May 7 |
| 1945 | May 29 |
| 1946 | Jun 19 |
| 1947 | May 30 |
| 1948 | May 14 |
| 1949 | May 23 |
| 1950 | May 25 |
| 1951 | May 10 |
| 1952 | May 31 |
| 1953 | May 15 |
| 1954 | May 31 |
| 1955 | Apr 24 |
| 1956 | May 7 |
| 1958 | May 3 |
| 1959 | May 23 |
| 1960 | May 7 |
| 1962 | May 6 |
| 1963 | May 22 |
| 1965 | May 27 |
| 1968 | May 21 |
| 1969 | Jun 20 |
| 1970 | May 5 |
| 1971 | May 20 |
| 1972 | May 9 |
| 1973 | May 22 |
| 1974 | May 24 |
| 1975 | May 31 |
| 1992 | Jun 6 |
| 1993 | May 20 |
| 1994 | May 7 |
| 1995 | May 25 |
| 1996 | May 13 |
| 1997 | May 21 |
| 1998 | Jun 4 |
| 1999 | May 12 |
| 2000 | Jun 2 |
| 2001 | May 25 |
| 2002 | May 24 |
| 2003 | May 20 |
| 2004 | Jun 24 |
| 2005 | May 15 |
| 2006 | May 11 |
| 2007 | May 1 |
| 2008 | May 10 |
| 2009 | May 17 |
| 2010 | May 11 |
| 2012 | May 12 |
| 2020 | May 12 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1912 | 97 |
| 1920 | 123 |
| 1921 | 137 |
| 1922 | 125 |
| 1923 | 118 |
| 1924 | 96 |
| 1925 | 126 |
| 1926 | 106 |
| 1927 | 131 |
| 1928 | 114 |
| 1930 | 118 |
| 1931 | 137 |
| 1932 | 116 |
| 1933 | 122 |
| 1934 | 48 |
| 1935 | 97 |
| 1936 | 125 |
| 1937 | 134 |
| 1938 | 131 |
| 1939 | 136 |
| 1940 | 165 |
| 1941 | 122 |
| 1942 | 91 |
| 1943 | 97 |
| 1944 | 134 |
| 1945 | 108 |
| 1946 | 73 |
| 1947 | 107 |
| 1948 | 117 |
| 1949 | 112 |
| 1950 | 109 |
| 1951 | 135 |
| 1952 | 110 |
| 1953 | 128 |
| 1954 | 112 |
| 1955 | 138 |
| 1956 | 119 |
| 1958 | 144 |
| 1959 | 115 |
| 1960 | 132 |
| 1962 | 119 |
| 1963 | 157 |
| 1965 | 100 |
| 1969 | 108 |
| 1970 | 130 |
| 1971 | 119 |
| 1972 | 114 |
| 1973 | 114 |
| 1974 | 99 |
| 1975 | 103 |
| 1992 | 103 |
| 1993 | 115 |
| 1994 | 115 |
| 1995 | 116 |
| 1996 | 120 |
| 1997 | 120 |
| 1998 | 108 |
| 1999 | 123 |
| 2000 | 111 |
| 2001 | 131 |
| 2002 | 120 |
| 2003 | 121 |
| 2004 | 74 |
| 2005 | 129 |
| 2006 | 130 |
| 2007 | 135 |
| 2008 | 151 |
| 2010 | 129 |
| 2020 | 118 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1912 | 13.6 °C |
| 1920 | 14.2 °C |
| 1921 | 14.9 °C |
| 1922 | 15.3 °C |
| 1923 | 15.1 °C |
| 1924 | 12.3 °C |
| 1925 | 15.4 °C |
| 1926 | 14.6 °C |
| 1927 | 13.4 °C |
| 1928 | 13.7 °C |
| 1929 | 14.4 °C |
| 1930 | 15.8 °C |
| 1931 | 16.7 °C |
| 1932 | 16.3 °C |
| 1933 | 15.8 °C |
| 1934 | 15.7 °C |
| 1935 | 13.2 °C |
| 1936 | 17.1 °C |
| 1937 | 17.4 °C |
| 1938 | 16.7 °C |
| 1939 | 16.5 °C |
| 1940 | 16.8 °C |
| 1941 | 16.0 °C |
| 1942 | 14.7 °C |
| 1943 | 15.0 °C |
| 1944 | 15.1 °C |
| 1945 | 13.4 °C |
| 1946 | 15.2 °C |
| 1947 | 14.9 °C |
| 1948 | 16.4 °C |
| 1949 | 16.8 °C |
| 1950 | 13.3 °C |
| 1951 | 14.1 °C |
| 1952 | 16.3 °C |
| 1953 | 14.7 °C |
| 1954 | 14.2 °C |
| 1955 | 16.6 °C |
| 1956 | 15.1 °C |
| 1957 | 15.6 °C |
| 1958 | 15.9 °C |
| 1959 | 15.7 °C |
| 1960 | 16.1 °C |
| 1961 | 15.7 °C |
| 1962 | 15.0 °C |
| 1963 | 16.6 °C |
| 1965 | 14.4 °C |
| 1969 | 15.3 °C |
| 1970 | 14.6 °C |
| 1971 | 14.5 °C |
| 1972 | 12.8 °C |
| 1973 | 13.6 °C |
| 1974 | 14.1 °C |
| 1975 | 13.2 °C |
| 1976 | 17.0 °C |
| 1992 | 13.4 °C |
| 1993 | 12.7 °C |
| 1994 | 14.6 °C |
| 1995 | 14.1 °C |
| 1996 | 13.8 °C |
| 1997 | 14.9 °C |
| 1998 | 15.8 °C |
| 1999 | 13.9 °C |
| 2000 | 14.5 °C |
| 2001 | 15.5 °C |
| 2002 | 14.1 °C |
| 2003 | 15.9 °C |
| 2004 | 13.8 °C |
| 2005 | 15.7 °C |
| 2006 | 16.6 °C |
| 2007 | 16.1 °C |
| 2008 | 15.2 °C |
| 2010 | 14.9 °C |
| 2011 | 14.8 °C |
| 2020 | 14.5 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1912, Watford City's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Watford City (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.