When to plant in Central Park, WA

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

Last spring frost

Early · riskyMar 39 years in 10 still get a later frost
TypicalMar 27about half of years get a later frost
Safe to plant outApr 201 year in 10 gets a later frost

Hardy crops like peas and spinach are timed from the typical date. Wait for the safe date before planting out tomatoes, peppers and squash.

First fall frost

EarlyOct 301 year in 10 has frost by then
TypicalNov 14about half of years have had frost
LateDec 69 years in 10 have had frost by then

A typical year has 223 frost-free days. Plan for tender crops to be ripe by the early date.

Station used: Aberdeen · 10.4 km away · station 3 m, town 42 m. How we match towns to stations

This season

Plan your garden.

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Planting dates for common crops

Crop	Start indoors	Plant out or sow	Harvest from
Tomato	Mar 18 – Apr 1	May 13 – May 27	Jul 7
Sweet pepper	Mar 4 – Mar 18	May 13 – May 27	Jul 12
Lettuce (leaf)	Jan 23 – Jan 30	Feb 27 – Mar 13	Apr 8
Peas	—	Feb 13 – Mar 13	Apr 9
Bush beans	—	May 2 – May 23	Jun 21
Carrot	—	Mar 24 – May 5	May 23
Beet	—	Mar 24 – May 5	May 13
Potato	—	Mar 24 – Apr 14	Jun 2
Kale	Jan 16 – Jan 30	Feb 27 – Mar 13	Apr 11
Broccoli	Jan 16 – Jan 30	Feb 27 – Mar 20	Apr 28
Cucumber	Apr 15 – Apr 22	May 13 – May 27	Jul 2
Summer squash and zucchini	Apr 15 – Apr 22	May 13 – May 27	Jun 27
Winter squash	Apr 15 – Apr 22	May 13 – May 27	Aug 1
Sweet corn	—	May 2 – May 23	Jul 1
Onion (from sets)	—	Feb 27 – Mar 20	May 28
Garlic	—	Oct 15 – Nov 12 (fall)	following summer
Spinach	—	Feb 13 – Mar 13	Mar 23
Basil	Apr 1 – Apr 15	May 13 – May 27	Jul 9

Plan all 65 crops for Central Park

Central Park'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
1892	Apr 6
1893	May 5
1894	May 1
1895	Apr 5
1896	Apr 14
1897	Mar 28
1898	Apr 17
1900	May 24
1902	Apr 23
1903	Apr 19
1904	Apr 23
1905	May 18
1906	Apr 12
1907	Apr 30
1908	Apr 30
1909	May 21
1910	Mar 31
1911	Jun 5
1912	Apr 21
1913	Apr 30
1914	Apr 16
1915	Apr 21
1916	May 12
1917	May 18
1918	Apr 26
1919	May 5
1920	May 13
1921	May 8
1922	May 10
1923	May 1
1924	Apr 24
1925	Apr 26
1926	Mar 24
1927	Apr 20
1928	Mar 13
1929	Apr 29
1930	May 7
1931	Apr 18
1932	Apr 20
1933	Apr 16
1934	Apr 2
1935	Apr 23
1936	Apr 3
1937	Apr 6
1938	Apr 20
1939	Apr 30
1940	Mar 20
1941	Apr 19
1942	Mar 27
1943	Apr 26
1944	Apr 22
1945	Apr 28
1946	Apr 30
1947	Apr 3
1948	May 2
1949	May 4
1950	May 7
1951	Apr 21
1953	Apr 10
1954	May 1
1955	Apr 25
1956	Apr 17
1957	Apr 6
1958	Apr 9
1959	Apr 16
1960	Apr 16
1961	Apr 4
1962	Mar 28
1963	Apr 1
1964	Apr 18
1965	May 6
1966	Apr 19
1967	Apr 2
1968	Apr 21
1969	Apr 3
1970	Apr 14
1971	Apr 3
1972	Apr 22
1973	Mar 28
1974	Apr 13
1975	Apr 22
1976	Apr 2
1977	Mar 30
1978	Mar 2
1979	Mar 1
1980	Apr 2
1981	Apr 13
1982	Apr 19
1983	Apr 13
1984	Apr 26
1986	Apr 29
1987	Mar 28
1988	Mar 15
1989	Mar 4
1990	Mar 14
1991	Apr 11
1992	Feb 20
1993	Apr 5
1994	Mar 23
1995	Mar 7
1996	Mar 28
1997	Apr 5
1998	Mar 29
1999	Apr 1
2000	Apr 24
2001	Apr 15
2002	May 7
2003	Apr 4
2004	Apr 1
2005	Feb 23
2006	Mar 20
2007	Apr 4
2008	Apr 20
2010	Mar 20
2011	Apr 20
2012	Apr 5
2013	Apr 15
2014	Mar 23
2015	Mar 5
2016	Jan 4
2017	Mar 20
2018	Mar 28
2019	Mar 12
2020	Apr 13
2021	Apr 12

Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Frost-free days
1893	169
1894	196
1897	222
1898	207
1902	154
1903	204
1904	208
1905	151
1906	191
1907	135
1908	146
1909	175
1910	208
1911	143
1912	166
1913	157
1914	212
1915	199
1916	141
1917	150
1918	193
1919	146
1920	168
1921	166
1922	171
1923	178
1924	163
1925	208
1926	181
1927	167
1928	210
1929	187
1930	156
1931	184
1932	179
1933	180
1934	196
1935	180
1936	210
1937	238
1938	177
1939	177
1940	219
1941	211
1942	214
1943	187
1944	207
1945	172
1946	167
1947	215
1948	177
1949	164
1950	189
1951	193
1953	205
1954	174
1955	200
1956	197
1957	209
1958	219
1959	202
1960	176
1961	211
1962	244
1963	232
1964	209
1965	200
1966	232
1967	232
1968	228
1969	192
1970	194
1971	206
1972	190
1973	217
1974	252
1975	209
1976	237
1977	222
1978	252
1979	270
1980	246
1981	227
1982	203
1983	229
1986	192
1988	243
1989	281
1990	256
1991	201
1992	262
1993	222
1994	223
1995	237
1996	216
1997	244
1998	249
1999	269
2000	199
2001	231
2002	175
2003	209
2004	217
2005	273
2006	223
2007	211
2008	229
2010	245
2011	197
2012	218
2013	218
2014	235
2015	262
2016	335
2017	228
2018	251
2019	215
2020	208
2021	223

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

See the data as a table

Year	Growing-season temperature
1892	13.2 °C
1893	13.3 °C
1894	13.8 °C
1897	14.1 °C
1898	14.5 °C
1901	11.5 °C
1902	12.8 °C
1903	13.0 °C
1904	13.7 °C
1905	13.6 °C
1906	13.7 °C
1907	12.5 °C
1908	12.0 °C
1909	12.3 °C
1910	12.8 °C
1911	12.3 °C
1912	13.0 °C
1913	14.2 °C
1914	13.7 °C
1915	13.7 °C
1916	12.4 °C
1917	12.2 °C
1918	13.3 °C
1919	12.9 °C
1920	11.9 °C
1921	12.2 °C
1922	12.5 °C
1923	13.4 °C
1924	12.5 °C
1925	14.3 °C
1926	13.8 °C
1927	12.7 °C
1928	13.9 °C
1929	12.8 °C
1930	13.0 °C
1931	13.5 °C
1932	13.1 °C
1933	12.3 °C
1934	13.8 °C
1935	13.1 °C
1936	14.1 °C
1937	13.2 °C
1938	13.5 °C
1939	13.5 °C
1940	14.4 °C
1941	13.8 °C
1942	13.9 °C
1943	13.1 °C
1944	13.5 °C
1945	13.1 °C
1946	13.2 °C
1947	14.0 °C
1948	13.2 °C
1949	13.7 °C
1950	13.4 °C
1951	13.8 °C
1952	13.4 °C
1953	13.5 °C
1954	12.9 °C
1955	12.5 °C
1956	13.8 °C
1957	14.6 °C
1958	15.4 °C
1959	13.8 °C
1960	13.8 °C
1961	14.3 °C
1962	13.5 °C
1963	14.3 °C
1965	13.1 °C
1966	13.4 °C
1967	14.0 °C
1968	13.4 °C
1969	13.6 °C
1970	12.7 °C
1971	12.8 °C
1972	13.2 °C
1973	13.2 °C
1974	13.4 °C
1975	12.9 °C
1976	13.3 °C
1977	13.3 °C
1978	14.1 °C
1979	14.5 °C
1980	13.8 °C
1981	13.6 °C
1982	13.3 °C
1983	14.1 °C
1984	13.0 °C
1986	13.5 °C
1988	13.6 °C
1989	14.5 °C
1990	14.6 °C
1991	13.7 °C
1992	14.8 °C
1993	14.5 °C
1994	14.6 °C
1995	14.6 °C
1996	13.8 °C
1997	15.1 °C
1998	14.2 °C
1999	13.1 °C
2000	13.9 °C
2001	13.1 °C
2002	13.5 °C
2003	14.2 °C
2004	14.9 °C
2005	14.3 °C
2006	14.0 °C
2007	13.6 °C
2008	12.8 °C
2010	12.8 °C
2011	13.1 °C
2012	13.5 °C
2013	14.1 °C
2014	14.9 °C
2015	14.5 °C
2016	14.9 °C
2017	14.2 °C
2018	14.1 °C
2019	14.8 °C
2020	14.6 °C
2021	14.0 °C

What this means for you: Since 1892, Central Park's last spring frost has come about 3 days 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 Aberdeen (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.

Nearby towns

Cosmopolis Montesano Aberdeen Hoquiam Elma Raymond