When to plant in Vernal, UT

Planting dates worked out from Vernal's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.

Safe to plant out

Jun 12

1 year in 10 has a later frost

Average last frost

May 14

about a 50% chance of a later one

Average first fall frost

Sep 28

1 year in 10 by Sep 9

Frost-free days

136

median, 1991–2020

Station used: Vernal · 1.8 km away · station 1629 m, town 1624 m. How we match towns to stations

This season

Plan your garden.

Build my Vernal plan

Planting dates for common crops

Crop	Start indoors	Plant out or sow	Harvest from
Tomato	Apr 17 – May 1	Jun 12 – Jun 26	Aug 6
Sweet pepper	Apr 3 – Apr 17	Jun 12 – Jun 26	Aug 11
Lettuce (leaf)	Mar 12 – Mar 19	Apr 16 – Apr 30	May 26
Peas	—	Apr 2 – Apr 30	May 27
Bush beans	—	Jun 5 – Jun 26	Jul 25
Carrot	—	Apr 23 – Jun 4	Jun 22
Beet	—	Apr 16 – May 28	Jun 5
Potato	—	Apr 23 – May 14	Jul 2
Kale	Mar 5 – Mar 19	Apr 16 – Apr 30	May 29
Broccoli	Mar 5 – Mar 19	Apr 16 – May 7	Jun 15
Cucumber	May 15 – May 22	Jun 12 – Jun 26	Aug 1
Summer squash and zucchini	May 15 – May 22	Jun 12 – Jun 26	Jul 27
Winter squash	May 15 – May 22	Jun 12 – Jun 26	Aug 31
Sweet corn	—	Jun 5 – Jun 26	Aug 4
Onion (from sets)	—	Apr 16 – May 7	Jul 15
Garlic	—	Sep 14 – Oct 12 (fall)	following summer
Spinach	—	Apr 2 – Apr 30	May 10
Basil	May 1 – May 15	Jun 12 – Jun 26	Aug 8

Plan all 65 crops for Vernal

Vernal'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
1896	May 20
1897	Apr 22
1899	May 21
1901	Apr 27
1902	May 18
1903	May 19
1905	May 11
1906	May 2
1907	May 3
1909	May 30
1910	May 22
1911	May 27
1912	Jun 16
1916	Jun 23
1917	May 20
1920	Jun 1
1921	Jul 4
1922	Jun 1
1924	Jun 20
1925	May 12
1926	May 13
1927	May 29
1928	Jun 17
1929	Jun 18
1930	May 31
1931	May 28
1932	Jun 8
1933	May 28
1934	May 15
1935	May 21
1937	Jun 6
1938	May 8
1939	Jun 18
1940	May 1
1941	May 21
1942	Jun 28
1943	Jun 5
1944	May 23
1945	Jun 29
1948	May 17
1950	Jun 9
1951	Jun 8
1952	Jun 18
1953	Jun 25
1954	Jun 3
1955	Jun 2
1956	May 15
1957	May 21
1958	May 8
1959	May 21
1960	May 20
1961	May 17
1962	May 26
1963	May 13
1964	May 12
1965	May 28
1966	Jun 5
1967	May 15
1968	Jun 30
1969	May 8
1970	May 15
1971	May 23
1972	May 14
1973	Jun 19
1974	May 22
1975	Jun 26
1976	Jun 14
1977	May 21
1978	May 31
1979	Jun 9
1980	May 27
1981	May 7
1982	Jul 7
1983	May 18
1984	May 8
1985	May 14
1986	May 26
1987	May 4
1988	May 31
1989	May 26
1990	Jun 2
1991	May 13
1992	May 1
1993	Jun 24
1994	May 21
1995	Jun 9
1996	May 5
1997	May 27
1998	Jun 11
1999	May 18
2000	May 13
2001	Jun 13
2002	Jun 13
2004	May 30
2005	Apr 30
2006	Apr 21
2007	Apr 20
2010	May 13
2011	May 5
2012	Apr 29
2013	May 3
2015	Apr 21
2016	May 12
2017	May 21
2018	Apr 26
2019	May 3
2020	Apr 20
2021	Apr 29
2022	May 11
2023	Apr 27
2024	May 9
2025	Apr 20
2026	May 20

Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Frost-free days
1896	142
1899	134
1901	150
1902	116
1903	115
1905	149
1906	154
1910	126
1911	101
1912	89
1916	79
1924	90
1925	139
1926	131
1928	86
1929	82
1930	116
1931	114
1932	83
1933	130
1934	131
1935	129
1937	109
1938	154
1939	107
1940	154
1941	109
1944	115
1945	70
1948	115
1950	106
1951	95
1952	87
1953	68
1954	106
1955	115
1956	129
1957	115
1958	139
1959	129
1960	144
1961	129
1962	105
1963	153
1964	109
1965	94
1966	101
1967	144
1968	77
1969	137
1970	122
1971	114
1972	138
1973	99
1974	113
1975	84
1976	106
1977	120
1978	110
1979	116
1980	118
1981	154
1982	86
1983	125
1984	139
1985	131
1986	125
1987	136
1988	110
1989	110
1990	122
1991	124
1992	117
1993	81
1994	124
1995	103
1996	136
1997	134
1998	115
1999	131
2000	132
2001	87
2002	112
2004	145
2005	157
2006	148
2010	165
2011	154
2012	160
2013	147
2015	189
2016	144
2017	134
2018	165
2019	152
2020	141
2021	166
2022	164
2023	169
2024	169
2025	183

Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Growing-season temperature
1895	16.7 °C
1896	16.6 °C
1897	16.9 °C
1899	16.4 °C
1900	17.2 °C
1901	18.0 °C
1902	17.4 °C
1903	16.8 °C
1905	16.8 °C
1906	16.6 °C
1910	17.3 °C
1911	15.5 °C
1912	14.2 °C
1916	14.8 °C
1921	14.7 °C
1922	14.7 °C
1924	14.8 °C
1925	15.3 °C
1926	15.6 °C
1928	14.6 °C
1929	14.7 °C
1930	15.5 °C
1931	15.8 °C
1932	15.2 °C
1933	15.5 °C
1934	17.1 °C
1935	15.7 °C
1937	16.0 °C
1938	15.7 °C
1940	17.3 °C
1941	15.0 °C
1944	14.6 °C
1945	13.9 °C
1948	14.7 °C
1950	14.0 °C
1951	14.6 °C
1952	15.1 °C
1953	14.2 °C
1954	16.2 °C
1955	15.8 °C
1956	16.5 °C
1957	15.3 °C
1958	16.3 °C
1959	15.8 °C
1960	16.8 °C
1961	16.1 °C
1962	16.2 °C
1963	16.5 °C
1964	15.7 °C
1965	14.6 °C
1966	15.8 °C
1967	15.5 °C
1968	14.9 °C
1969	17.1 °C
1970	15.8 °C
1971	16.1 °C
1972	17.3 °C
1973	16.0 °C
1974	16.9 °C
1975	14.6 °C
1976	16.3 °C
1977	17.1 °C
1978	16.6 °C
1979	17.2 °C
1980	16.8 °C
1981	17.9 °C
1982	16.4 °C
1983	16.0 °C
1984	16.7 °C
1985	17.1 °C
1986	15.6 °C
1987	16.2 °C
1988	17.4 °C
1989	16.8 °C
1990	17.2 °C
1991	16.2 °C
1992	16.6 °C
1993	14.9 °C
1994	17.4 °C
1995	15.3 °C
1996	16.6 °C
1997	15.9 °C
1998	16.4 °C
1999	15.6 °C
2000	18.2 °C
2001	17.6 °C
2002	17.8 °C
2004	16.9 °C
2006	17.0 °C
2010	16.1 °C
2011	15.9 °C
2012	17.9 °C
2013	17.0 °C
2015	16.9 °C
2016	16.7 °C
2017	17.3 °C
2018	18.5 °C
2019	17.1 °C
2020	17.6 °C
2021	18.1 °C
2022	17.7 °C
2023	17.1 °C
2024	17.9 °C
2025	18.2 °C

What this means for you: Since 1896, Vernal's last spring frost has come about 1 day earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 3 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.

Source: daily records from Vernal (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.

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