When to plant in Williams, OR
Planting dates worked out from Williams'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 16
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 6
1 year in 10 by Sep 21
Frost-free days
136
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Provolt Seed Orchard Oregon · 8.7 km away · station 360 m, town 428 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 14 – Mar 21 | Apr 18 – May 2 | May 28 |
| Peas | — | Apr 4 – May 2 | May 29 |
| Bush beans | — | May 31 – Jun 21 | Jul 20 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 25 – Jun 6 | Jun 24 |
| Beet | — | Apr 18 – May 30 | Jun 7 |
| Potato | — | Apr 25 – May 16 | Jul 4 |
| Kale | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | Apr 18 – May 2 | May 31 |
| Broccoli | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | Apr 18 – May 9 | Jun 17 |
| 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 18 – May 9 | Jul 17 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 22 – Oct 20 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 4 – May 2 | May 12 |
| Basil | Apr 26 – May 10 | Jun 7 – Jun 21 | Aug 3 |
Williams'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 |
|---|---|
| 1986 | Jun 9 |
| 1987 | May 20 |
| 1988 | Jun 13 |
| 1989 | Jun 22 |
| 1990 | Jul 7 |
| 1991 | Jun 5 |
| 1992 | May 1 |
| 1993 | May 7 |
| 1994 | Jun 7 |
| 1995 | May 18 |
| 1997 | May 21 |
| 1998 | Apr 17 |
| 1999 | Jun 9 |
| 2000 | May 31 |
| 2001 | Jun 4 |
| 2002 | Jun 8 |
| 2003 | May 19 |
| 2004 | May 12 |
| 2005 | Apr 20 |
| 2006 | May 9 |
| 2007 | May 22 |
| 2008 | Jun 11 |
| 2009 | May 13 |
| 2010 | May 29 |
| 2011 | May 10 |
| 2012 | May 18 |
| 2013 | May 25 |
| 2014 | Apr 28 |
| 2015 | May 7 |
| 2016 | Apr 26 |
| 2017 | May 7 |
| 2018 | May 2 |
| 2019 | May 3 |
| 2020 | May 7 |
| 2021 | May 8 |
| 2022 | May 21 |
| 2023 | May 7 |
| 2024 | May 23 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1986 | 114 |
| 1987 | 118 |
| 1988 | 89 |
| 1989 | 56 |
| 1990 | 20 |
| 1991 | 107 |
| 1992 | 134 |
| 1993 | 135 |
| 1994 | 117 |
| 1995 | 138 |
| 1997 | 152 |
| 1998 | 180 |
| 1999 | 109 |
| 2000 | 115 |
| 2001 | 126 |
| 2002 | 113 |
| 2003 | 120 |
| 2004 | 131 |
| 2006 | 151 |
| 2007 | 124 |
| 2008 | 119 |
| 2009 | 140 |
| 2010 | 128 |
| 2011 | 167 |
| 2012 | 145 |
| 2013 | 129 |
| 2014 | 196 |
| 2015 | 168 |
| 2016 | 204 |
| 2017 | 147 |
| 2018 | 144 |
| 2019 | 150 |
| 2020 | 167 |
| 2021 | 155 |
| 2022 | 158 |
| 2023 | 172 |
| 2024 | 147 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1985 | 14.6 °C |
| 1987 | 15.8 °C |
| 1988 | 14.3 °C |
| 1989 | 13.2 °C |
| 1990 | 13.5 °C |
| 1991 | 15.5 °C |
| 1992 | 17.5 °C |
| 1993 | 15.5 °C |
| 1994 | 16.7 °C |
| 1995 | 16.0 °C |
| 1997 | 16.7 °C |
| 1998 | 17.0 °C |
| 1999 | 16.2 °C |
| 2000 | 16.9 °C |
| 2001 | 16.9 °C |
| 2002 | 16.6 °C |
| 2003 | 17.3 °C |
| 2004 | 17.3 °C |
| 2005 | 16.7 °C |
| 2006 | 17.3 °C |
| 2007 | 16.6 °C |
| 2008 | 16.5 °C |
| 2009 | 17.4 °C |
| 2010 | 15.7 °C |
| 2011 | 16.1 °C |
| 2012 | 17.0 °C |
| 2013 | 17.3 °C |
| 2014 | 18.1 °C |
| 2015 | 17.8 °C |
| 2016 | 17.4 °C |
| 2017 | 17.6 °C |
| 2018 | 17.1 °C |
| 2019 | 17.2 °C |
| 2020 | 17.7 °C |
| 2021 | 18.1 °C |
| 2022 | 17.2 °C |
| 2023 | 17.6 °C |
| 2024 | 17.7 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1986, Williams's last spring frost has come about 8 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 19 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Provolt Seed Orchard Oregon (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.