When to plant in Ephrata, WA
Planting dates worked out from Ephrata's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 14
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 25
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 15
1 year in 10 by Sep 30
Frost-free days
174
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Ephrata Ap · 3.1 km away · station 382 m, town 389 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 19 – Apr 2 | May 14 – May 28 | Jul 8 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 5 – Mar 19 | May 14 – May 28 | Jul 13 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 21 – Feb 28 | Mar 28 – Apr 11 | May 7 |
| Peas | — | Mar 15 – Apr 12 | May 9 |
| Bush beans | — | May 7 – May 28 | Jun 26 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 4 – May 16 | Jun 3 |
| Beet | — | Mar 28 – May 9 | May 17 |
| Potato | — | Apr 4 – Apr 25 | Jun 13 |
| Kale | Feb 14 – Feb 28 | Mar 28 – Apr 11 | May 10 |
| Broccoli | Feb 14 – Feb 28 | Mar 28 – Apr 18 | May 27 |
| Cucumber | Apr 16 – Apr 23 | May 14 – May 28 | Jul 3 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 16 – Apr 23 | May 14 – May 28 | Jun 28 |
| Winter squash | Apr 16 – Apr 23 | May 14 – May 28 | Aug 2 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 7 – May 28 | Jul 6 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 28 – Apr 18 | Jun 26 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 1 – Oct 29 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 15 – Apr 12 | Apr 22 |
| Basil | Apr 2 – Apr 16 | May 14 – May 28 | Jul 10 |
Ephrata'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 |
|---|---|
| 1949 | May 3 |
| 1950 | Apr 9 |
| 1951 | Apr 21 |
| 1952 | Apr 29 |
| 1953 | Apr 15 |
| 1954 | May 1 |
| 1955 | Apr 28 |
| 1956 | Apr 6 |
| 1957 | Mar 23 |
| 1958 | Apr 9 |
| 1959 | May 4 |
| 1960 | May 22 |
| 1961 | Apr 20 |
| 1962 | May 4 |
| 1963 | May 1 |
| 1964 | May 23 |
| 1965 | Apr 7 |
| 1966 | Apr 21 |
| 1967 | May 1 |
| 1968 | Apr 22 |
| 1969 | Mar 25 |
| 1970 | May 10 |
| 1971 | Apr 19 |
| 1972 | May 1 |
| 1973 | Apr 8 |
| 1974 | Apr 4 |
| 1975 | Apr 6 |
| 1976 | Apr 23 |
| 1977 | Apr 18 |
| 1978 | Apr 23 |
| 1979 | Apr 20 |
| 1980 | Apr 7 |
| 1981 | Apr 13 |
| 1982 | May 4 |
| 1983 | May 8 |
| 1984 | May 9 |
| 1985 | May 11 |
| 1986 | May 5 |
| 1987 | May 2 |
| 1988 | Apr 25 |
| 1989 | Apr 4 |
| 1990 | Mar 25 |
| 1991 | Apr 25 |
| 1992 | May 14 |
| 1993 | Apr 23 |
| 1994 | Mar 26 |
| 1995 | Apr 17 |
| 1996 | Apr 28 |
| 1997 | May 2 |
| 1998 | Apr 13 |
| 1999 | May 8 |
| 2000 | Apr 26 |
| 2002 | May 8 |
| 2003 | May 16 |
| 2004 | Apr 19 |
| 2005 | Apr 15 |
| 2006 | Apr 18 |
| 2007 | Apr 20 |
| 2008 | Apr 26 |
| 2009 | May 4 |
| 2010 | May 21 |
| 2011 | May 17 |
| 2012 | Apr 19 |
| 2013 | Apr 23 |
| 2014 | Apr 14 |
| 2015 | Apr 26 |
| 2016 | Apr 6 |
| 2017 | Apr 15 |
| 2018 | Apr 9 |
| 2019 | Apr 15 |
| 2020 | May 4 |
| 2021 | Apr 25 |
| 2022 | May 13 |
| 2023 | Apr 20 |
| 2024 | May 2 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1949 | 163 |
| 1950 | 204 |
| 1951 | 187 |
| 1952 | 185 |
| 1953 | 200 |
| 1954 | 177 |
| 1955 | 160 |
| 1956 | 198 |
| 1957 | 212 |
| 1958 | 194 |
| 1959 | 175 |
| 1960 | 159 |
| 1961 | 170 |
| 1962 | 156 |
| 1963 | 170 |
| 1964 | 145 |
| 1965 | 190 |
| 1966 | 175 |
| 1967 | 177 |
| 1968 | 176 |
| 1969 | 201 |
| 1970 | 161 |
| 1971 | 180 |
| 1972 | 150 |
| 1973 | 200 |
| 1974 | 218 |
| 1975 | 200 |
| 1976 | 178 |
| 1977 | 174 |
| 1978 | 181 |
| 1979 | 183 |
| 1980 | 198 |
| 1981 | 172 |
| 1982 | 167 |
| 1983 | 145 |
| 1984 | 157 |
| 1985 | 149 |
| 1986 | 186 |
| 1987 | 170 |
| 1988 | 186 |
| 1989 | 205 |
| 1990 | 195 |
| 1991 | 179 |
| 1992 | 152 |
| 1993 | 184 |
| 1994 | 209 |
| 1995 | 189 |
| 1996 | 171 |
| 1997 | 175 |
| 1998 | 184 |
| 1999 | 160 |
| 2000 | 149 |
| 2002 | 146 |
| 2003 | 146 |
| 2004 | 187 |
| 2005 | 196 |
| 2006 | 174 |
| 2007 | 161 |
| 2008 | 149 |
| 2009 | 154 |
| 2010 | 148 |
| 2011 | 160 |
| 2012 | 170 |
| 2013 | 174 |
| 2014 | 207 |
| 2015 | 191 |
| 2016 | 188 |
| 2017 | 176 |
| 2018 | 188 |
| 2019 | 167 |
| 2020 | 170 |
| 2021 | 166 |
| 2022 | 164 |
| 2023 | 189 |
| 2024 | 168 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1949 | 19.2 °C |
| 1950 | 18.5 °C |
| 1951 | 18.9 °C |
| 1952 | 19.3 °C |
| 1953 | 17.6 °C |
| 1954 | 17.1 °C |
| 1955 | 17.2 °C |
| 1956 | 19.2 °C |
| 1957 | 18.9 °C |
| 1958 | 20.3 °C |
| 1959 | 17.9 °C |
| 1960 | 18.5 °C |
| 1961 | 19.3 °C |
| 1962 | 18.3 °C |
| 1963 | 18.9 °C |
| 1964 | 17.2 °C |
| 1965 | 18.6 °C |
| 1966 | 18.5 °C |
| 1967 | 19.4 °C |
| 1968 | 18.8 °C |
| 1969 | 19.3 °C |
| 1970 | 18.8 °C |
| 1971 | 18.7 °C |
| 1972 | 18.4 °C |
| 1973 | 19.5 °C |
| 1974 | 19.3 °C |
| 1975 | 19.5 °C |
| 1976 | 17.9 °C |
| 1977 | 18.9 °C |
| 1978 | 18.1 °C |
| 1979 | 19.7 °C |
| 1980 | 17.9 °C |
| 1981 | 18.1 °C |
| 1982 | 17.8 °C |
| 1983 | 17.3 °C |
| 1984 | 16.9 °C |
| 1985 | 18.4 °C |
| 1986 | 18.4 °C |
| 1987 | 20.1 °C |
| 1988 | 18.7 °C |
| 1989 | 18.6 °C |
| 1990 | 19.7 °C |
| 1991 | 18.7 °C |
| 1992 | 18.9 °C |
| 1993 | 17.1 °C |
| 1994 | 19.8 °C |
| 1995 | 18.6 °C |
| 1996 | 18.3 °C |
| 1997 | 18.7 °C |
| 1998 | 20.3 °C |
| 1999 | 18.3 °C |
| 2000 | 18.6 °C |
| 2002 | 18.1 °C |
| 2003 | 18.7 °C |
| 2004 | 18.8 °C |
| 2005 | 18.3 °C |
| 2006 | 18.6 °C |
| 2007 | 18.4 °C |
| 2008 | 18.0 °C |
| 2009 | 19.2 °C |
| 2010 | 17.6 °C |
| 2011 | 17.1 °C |
| 2012 | 18.5 °C |
| 2013 | 19.2 °C |
| 2014 | 19.9 °C |
| 2015 | 20.3 °C |
| 2016 | 19.0 °C |
| 2017 | 19.1 °C |
| 2018 | 19.4 °C |
| 2019 | 19.0 °C |
| 2020 | 18.7 °C |
| 2021 | 19.9 °C |
| 2022 | 18.6 °C |
| 2023 | 19.4 °C |
| 2024 | 19.1 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1949, Ephrata's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. The frost-free season has shrunk 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 Ephrata Ap (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.