When to plant in Chico, WA
Planting dates worked out from Chico's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 26
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 3
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 13
1 year in 10 by Oct 31
Frost-free days
230
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Bremerton · 5.2 km away · station 37 m, town 10 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 8 – Mar 22 | May 3 – May 17 | Jun 27 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 22 – Mar 8 | May 3 – May 17 | Jul 2 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 30 – Feb 6 | Mar 6 – Mar 20 | Apr 15 |
| Peas | — | Feb 23 – Mar 23 | Apr 19 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 25 – May 16 | Jun 14 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 20 – May 1 | May 19 |
| Beet | — | Mar 20 – May 1 | May 9 |
| Potato | — | Mar 20 – Apr 10 | May 29 |
| Kale | Jan 23 – Feb 6 | Mar 6 – Mar 20 | Apr 18 |
| Broccoli | Jan 23 – Feb 6 | Mar 6 – Mar 27 | May 5 |
| Cucumber | Apr 5 – Apr 12 | May 3 – May 17 | Jun 22 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 5 – Apr 12 | May 3 – May 17 | Jun 17 |
| Winter squash | Apr 5 – Apr 12 | May 3 – May 17 | Jul 22 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 25 – May 16 | Jun 24 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 6 – Mar 27 | Jun 4 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 13 – Nov 10 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 23 – Mar 23 | Apr 2 |
| Basil | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | May 3 – May 17 | Jun 29 |
Chico'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 |
|---|---|
| 1900 | Apr 10 |
| 1901 | Apr 25 |
| 1902 | Apr 12 |
| 1903 | Apr 28 |
| 1905 | Mar 30 |
| 1953 | Apr 15 |
| 1954 | May 1 |
| 1955 | Apr 28 |
| 1956 | Apr 6 |
| 1957 | Mar 18 |
| 1958 | Mar 14 |
| 1959 | Apr 6 |
| 1960 | Apr 22 |
| 1961 | Apr 20 |
| 1962 | Mar 28 |
| 1963 | Apr 2 |
| 1964 | May 25 |
| 1965 | May 6 |
| 1966 | Mar 22 |
| 1967 | Apr 15 |
| 1968 | Apr 22 |
| 1969 | Mar 13 |
| 1970 | May 9 |
| 1971 | Apr 12 |
| 1972 | Apr 17 |
| 1974 | Apr 12 |
| 1975 | Apr 8 |
| 1976 | Apr 16 |
| 1977 | Mar 30 |
| 1978 | Mar 14 |
| 1979 | Apr 1 |
| 1980 | Mar 30 |
| 1981 | Apr 13 |
| 1982 | Apr 19 |
| 1983 | Apr 4 |
| 1984 | Apr 26 |
| 1985 | May 11 |
| 1986 | Feb 20 |
| 1987 | Mar 29 |
| 1988 | Mar 29 |
| 1989 | Mar 20 |
| 1990 | Mar 25 |
| 1992 | Apr 8 |
| 1994 | Mar 24 |
| 1995 | Apr 14 |
| 1996 | Mar 25 |
| 1998 | Mar 29 |
| 1999 | Apr 9 |
| 2001 | Apr 8 |
| 2003 | Mar 24 |
| 2004 | Mar 19 |
| 2005 | Feb 26 |
| 2006 | Mar 19 |
| 2007 | Apr 3 |
| 2008 | May 1 |
| 2010 | Mar 18 |
| 2011 | Apr 8 |
| 2012 | Apr 7 |
| 2013 | Apr 13 |
| 2014 | Mar 22 |
| 2015 | May 23 |
| 2016 | Mar 27 |
| 2017 | May 7 |
| 2018 | Apr 2 |
| 2019 | Mar 13 |
| 2020 | Apr 4 |
| 2026 | Mar 30 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1900 | 207 |
| 1901 | 230 |
| 1902 | 193 |
| 1903 | 196 |
| 1953 | 204 |
| 1954 | 176 |
| 1955 | 187 |
| 1956 | 204 |
| 1957 | 229 |
| 1958 | 246 |
| 1959 | 220 |
| 1960 | 217 |
| 1961 | 197 |
| 1962 | 246 |
| 1963 | 229 |
| 1964 | 185 |
| 1965 | 221 |
| 1966 | 230 |
| 1967 | 223 |
| 1969 | 214 |
| 1971 | 187 |
| 1972 | 195 |
| 1974 | 253 |
| 1975 | 223 |
| 1976 | 224 |
| 1977 | 222 |
| 1978 | 241 |
| 1979 | 227 |
| 1980 | 226 |
| 1981 | 228 |
| 1982 | 204 |
| 1983 | 238 |
| 1984 | 185 |
| 1985 | 184 |
| 1986 | 262 |
| 1987 | 232 |
| 1988 | 239 |
| 1990 | 249 |
| 1995 | 200 |
| 1996 | 238 |
| 1998 | 249 |
| 1999 | 237 |
| 2001 | 233 |
| 2003 | 180 |
| 2004 | 230 |
| 2005 | 261 |
| 2006 | 225 |
| 2007 | 232 |
| 2008 | 206 |
| 2010 | 248 |
| 2011 | 211 |
| 2012 | 216 |
| 2013 | 220 |
| 2014 | 234 |
| 2015 | 176 |
| 2016 | 254 |
| 2017 | 180 |
| 2018 | 230 |
| 2019 | 231 |
| 2020 | 218 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1900 | 14.9 °C |
| 1901 | 14.0 °C |
| 1902 | 14.5 °C |
| 1903 | 13.4 °C |
| 1953 | 14.6 °C |
| 1954 | 13.4 °C |
| 1955 | 13.2 °C |
| 1956 | 15.0 °C |
| 1957 | 15.4 °C |
| 1958 | 16.8 °C |
| 1959 | 14.8 °C |
| 1960 | 14.6 °C |
| 1961 | 15.2 °C |
| 1962 | 14.5 °C |
| 1963 | 14.8 °C |
| 1964 | 13.8 °C |
| 1965 | 14.6 °C |
| 1966 | 14.9 °C |
| 1967 | 15.6 °C |
| 1969 | 15.2 °C |
| 1971 | 14.5 °C |
| 1972 | 14.5 °C |
| 1974 | 15.0 °C |
| 1975 | 14.2 °C |
| 1976 | 14.3 °C |
| 1977 | 15.0 °C |
| 1978 | 15.0 °C |
| 1979 | 15.8 °C |
| 1981 | 15.2 °C |
| 1982 | 15.1 °C |
| 1983 | 15.1 °C |
| 1986 | 15.0 °C |
| 1987 | 15.7 °C |
| 1988 | 14.9 °C |
| 1989 | 15.4 °C |
| 1990 | 15.9 °C |
| 1993 | 15.4 °C |
| 1994 | 16.1 °C |
| 1995 | 15.9 °C |
| 1996 | 15.0 °C |
| 1998 | 15.9 °C |
| 1999 | 14.5 °C |
| 2001 | 14.7 °C |
| 2003 | 15.8 °C |
| 2004 | 16.4 °C |
| 2005 | 15.7 °C |
| 2006 | 15.8 °C |
| 2007 | 15.2 °C |
| 2008 | 14.5 °C |
| 2010 | 14.4 °C |
| 2011 | 14.4 °C |
| 2012 | 15.0 °C |
| 2013 | 16.1 °C |
| 2014 | 16.6 °C |
| 2015 | 16.3 °C |
| 2016 | 16.4 °C |
| 2017 | 16.2 °C |
| 2018 | 16.3 °C |
| 2019 | 16.5 °C |
| 2020 | 16.3 °C |
| 2022 | 16.0 °C |
| 2023 | 16.5 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1900, Chico's last spring frost has come about 1 day earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 2 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Bremerton (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.