When to plant in Crocker, WA

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

Last spring frost

Early · riskyMar 279 years in 10 still get a later frost
TypicalApr 9about half of years get a later frost
Safe to plant outApr 231 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 151 year in 10 has frost by then
TypicalOct 28about half of years have had frost
LateNov 159 years in 10 have had frost by then

A typical year has 202 frost-free days. Plan for tender crops to be ripe by the early date.

Station used: Buckley 1 Ne · 12.4 km away · station 209 m, town 278 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 17 – Mar 31	May 12 – May 26	Jul 6
Sweet pepper	Mar 3 – Mar 17	May 12 – May 26	Jul 11
Lettuce (leaf)	Feb 5 – Feb 12	Mar 12 – Mar 26	Apr 21
Peas	—	Feb 26 – Mar 26	Apr 22
Bush beans	—	May 4 – May 25	Jun 23
Carrot	—	Apr 3 – May 15	Jun 2
Beet	—	Apr 3 – May 15	May 23
Potato	—	Apr 3 – Apr 24	Jun 12
Kale	Jan 29 – Feb 12	Mar 12 – Mar 26	Apr 24
Broccoli	Jan 29 – Feb 12	Mar 12 – Apr 2	May 11
Cucumber	Apr 14 – Apr 21	May 12 – May 26	Jul 1
Summer squash and zucchini	Apr 14 – Apr 21	May 12 – May 26	Jun 26
Winter squash	Apr 14 – Apr 21	May 12 – May 26	Jul 31
Sweet corn	—	May 4 – May 25	Jul 3
Onion (from sets)	—	Mar 12 – Apr 2	Jun 10
Garlic	—	Oct 7 – Nov 4 (fall)	following summer
Spinach	—	Feb 26 – Mar 26	Apr 5
Basil	Mar 31 – Apr 14	May 12 – May 26	Jul 8

Plan all 65 crops for Crocker

Crocker'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
1913	Apr 29
1914	Mar 31
1915	Mar 20
1916	May 11
1917	Jun 12
1920	May 22
1921	May 3
1922	May 9
1923	Mar 27
1924	Apr 25
1925	May 3
1926	Mar 25
1927	Apr 20
1928	Apr 7
1929	Apr 18
1930	May 8
1931	Apr 20
1932	Apr 7
1933	Apr 17
1934	Apr 2
1935	Apr 4
1936	Apr 5
1937	May 6
1938	Apr 20
1939	Apr 30
1940	Mar 22
1941	Mar 10
1942	Apr 23
1943	Apr 26
1944	Apr 1
1945	Apr 13
1946	May 1
1947	Apr 11
1948	Apr 30
1949	Apr 14
1950	Apr 21
1951	Apr 14
1952	May 5
1953	Apr 7
1954	May 1
1955	Apr 27
1956	Apr 6
1957	Apr 20
1958	Apr 9
1959	Apr 19
1960	Apr 21
1961	Apr 20
1962	May 4
1963	May 4
1964	May 13
1965	May 8
1966	May 27
1967	Apr 26
1968	Apr 24
1969	Apr 25
1970	Apr 28
1971	Apr 18
1972	Apr 30
1973	May 11
1974	Apr 17
1975	May 25
1976	Apr 21
1977	Apr 17
1978	Apr 21
1979	Apr 21
1980	May 23
1981	May 4
1982	Apr 24
1983	Apr 25
1984	Apr 26
1985	Apr 25
1986	Apr 29
1987	Apr 24
1988	Apr 9
1989	Mar 24
1990	Mar 29
1991	Mar 27
1992	Mar 28
1993	Apr 12
1994	Mar 25
1995	Apr 20
1996	Mar 28
1997	Apr 4
1998	Apr 14
1999	Apr 27
2000	Apr 24
2001	Apr 15
2002	Apr 8
2003	Apr 4
2004	Apr 2
2005	Mar 24
2006	Apr 23
2007	Apr 4
2009	Apr 16
2010	Apr 11
2011	Apr 20

Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Frost-free days
1913	178
1914	228
1915	232
1916	142
1917	131
1920	160
1921	149
1922	176
1923	210
1924	155
1925	165
1926	183
1927	193
1928	186
1929	171
1930	159
1931	176
1932	189
1933	200
1934	196
1935	200
1936	203
1937	194
1938	180
1939	177
1940	231
1941	246
1942	187
1943	193
1944	224
1945	205
1946	166
1947	214
1948	160
1949	185
1950	182
1951	198
1952	161
1953	197
1954	175
1955	197
1956	200
1957	180
1958	194
1959	198
1960	171
1961	180
1962	165
1963	198
1964	161
1965	198
1966	156
1967	189
1968	190
1969	171
1970	168
1971	179
1972	156
1973	174
1974	171
1975	167
1976	179
1977	169
1978	164
1979	192
1980	151
1981	169
1982	177
1983	157
1984	172
1985	164
1987	177
1988	200
1989	204
1990	221
1991	190
1992	200
1993	209
1994	221
1995	191
1996	216
1997	199
1998	188
1999	182
2000	173
2001	216
2002	188
2004	207
2006	189
2007	204
2009	211
2010	223
2011	205

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

See the data as a table

Year	Growing-season temperature
1913	14.1 °C
1914	14.3 °C
1915	14.6 °C
1916	13.5 °C
1917	13.3 °C
1920	13.6 °C
1921	13.5 °C
1922	14.5 °C
1923	15.1 °C
1924	14.5 °C
1925	15.1 °C
1926	15.7 °C
1927	14.3 °C
1928	14.4 °C
1929	14.0 °C
1930	14.3 °C
1931	14.9 °C
1932	14.2 °C
1933	13.3 °C
1934	14.9 °C
1935	14.2 °C
1936	14.9 °C
1937	14.2 °C
1938	15.1 °C
1939	14.8 °C
1940	15.5 °C
1941	15.2 °C
1942	15.1 °C
1943	14.4 °C
1944	14.8 °C
1945	14.1 °C
1946	14.2 °C
1947	14.8 °C
1948	13.1 °C
1949	13.9 °C
1950	14.0 °C
1951	14.6 °C
1952	14.2 °C
1953	13.4 °C
1954	12.5 °C
1955	12.5 °C
1956	14.1 °C
1957	14.3 °C
1958	15.6 °C
1959	14.0 °C
1960	13.9 °C
1961	15.1 °C
1962	13.9 °C
1963	14.3 °C
1964	13.1 °C
1965	14.2 °C
1966	14.2 °C
1967	15.3 °C
1968	14.2 °C
1969	14.8 °C
1970	14.0 °C
1971	14.2 °C
1972	14.4 °C
1973	14.4 °C
1974	14.3 °C
1975	13.7 °C
1976	14.1 °C
1977	14.6 °C
1978	14.2 °C
1979	14.6 °C
1980	14.0 °C
1981	14.8 °C
1984	13.7 °C
1985	14.7 °C
1987	15.6 °C
1988	14.8 °C
1994	15.1 °C
1995	15.3 °C
1996	14.8 °C
1997	15.6 °C
1998	15.2 °C
1999	13.5 °C
2000	14.4 °C
2001	13.9 °C
2002	14.1 °C
2004	15.4 °C
2005	14.7 °C
2006	14.9 °C
2007	14.2 °C
2009	15.6 °C
2010	14.4 °C
2011	14.2 °C

What this means for you: Since 1913, Crocker's last spring frost has come about 1 day earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 1 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.

Source: daily records from Buckley 1 Ne (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.

Nearby towns

Prairie Ridge Prairie Heights Orting Buckley McMillin Bonney Lake