When to plant in Ferndale, WA
Planting dates worked out from Ferndale's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 28
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 5
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 25
1 year in 10 by Oct 9
Frost-free days
197
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Bellingham Intl Ap · 6.4 km away · station 46 m, town 11 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 15 – Mar 29 | May 10 – May 24 | Jul 4 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 1 – Mar 15 | May 10 – May 24 | Jul 9 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 1 – Feb 8 | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | Apr 17 |
| Peas | — | Mar 6 – Apr 3 | Apr 30 |
| Bush beans | — | May 1 – May 22 | Jun 20 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 29 – May 10 | May 28 |
| Beet | — | Mar 29 – May 10 | May 18 |
| Potato | — | Mar 29 – Apr 19 | Jun 7 |
| Kale | Jan 30 – Feb 13 | Mar 13 – Mar 27 | Apr 25 |
| Broccoli | Jan 25 – Feb 8 | Mar 8 – Mar 29 | May 7 |
| Cucumber | Apr 12 – Apr 19 | May 10 – May 24 | Jun 29 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 12 – Apr 19 | May 10 – May 24 | Jun 24 |
| Winter squash | Apr 12 – Apr 19 | May 10 – May 24 | Jul 29 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 1 – May 22 | Jun 30 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 8 – Mar 29 | Jun 6 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 5 – Nov 2 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 6 – Apr 3 | Apr 13 |
| Basil | Mar 29 – Apr 12 | May 10 – May 24 | Jul 6 |
Ferndale'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 5 |
| 1950 | Apr 28 |
| 1951 | Apr 24 |
| 1952 | May 5 |
| 1953 | Apr 7 |
| 1954 | May 1 |
| 1955 | Apr 29 |
| 1956 | May 3 |
| 1957 | Mar 28 |
| 1958 | Apr 26 |
| 1959 | Apr 3 |
| 1960 | Apr 22 |
| 1961 | Apr 20 |
| 1962 | May 7 |
| 1963 | Apr 2 |
| 1964 | May 15 |
| 1965 | May 6 |
| 1966 | Apr 19 |
| 1967 | Apr 11 |
| 1968 | Apr 22 |
| 1969 | Apr 26 |
| 1970 | Apr 28 |
| 1971 | Apr 17 |
| 1972 | Apr 10 |
| 1973 | Apr 29 |
| 1974 | Apr 13 |
| 1975 | Apr 29 |
| 1976 | Apr 2 |
| 1977 | Apr 20 |
| 1978 | Apr 6 |
| 1979 | Apr 20 |
| 1980 | Apr 11 |
| 1981 | Apr 14 |
| 1982 | Apr 25 |
| 1983 | Apr 14 |
| 1984 | Apr 26 |
| 1985 | Mar 28 |
| 1986 | Apr 30 |
| 1987 | Mar 30 |
| 1988 | Apr 9 |
| 1989 | Mar 30 |
| 1990 | Mar 27 |
| 1991 | Apr 12 |
| 1992 | Apr 8 |
| 1993 | Mar 28 |
| 1994 | Mar 25 |
| 1995 | Apr 16 |
| 1996 | Mar 26 |
| 1999 | May 10 |
| 2000 | Apr 7 |
| 2001 | Apr 15 |
| 2002 | Apr 25 |
| 2003 | Mar 9 |
| 2004 | Apr 2 |
| 2005 | Apr 12 |
| 2006 | May 3 |
| 2007 | Apr 20 |
| 2008 | Apr 26 |
| 2009 | Apr 15 |
| 2010 | May 5 |
| 2011 | Apr 15 |
| 2012 | Apr 7 |
| 2013 | Mar 24 |
| 2014 | Mar 22 |
| 2015 | Mar 8 |
| 2016 | Feb 23 |
| 2017 | Feb 28 |
| 2018 | Mar 31 |
| 2019 | Mar 19 |
| 2020 | Apr 13 |
| 2021 | Apr 12 |
| 2022 | Apr 20 |
| 2023 | Apr 14 |
| 2024 | Apr 19 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1949 | 154 |
| 1950 | 154 |
| 1951 | 183 |
| 1952 | 161 |
| 1953 | 197 |
| 1954 | 150 |
| 1955 | 144 |
| 1956 | 177 |
| 1957 | 200 |
| 1958 | 180 |
| 1959 | 208 |
| 1960 | 169 |
| 1961 | 180 |
| 1962 | 199 |
| 1963 | 199 |
| 1964 | 163 |
| 1965 | 156 |
| 1966 | 176 |
| 1967 | 205 |
| 1968 | 162 |
| 1969 | 169 |
| 1970 | 180 |
| 1971 | 180 |
| 1972 | 167 |
| 1973 | 185 |
| 1974 | 175 |
| 1975 | 201 |
| 1976 | 198 |
| 1977 | 212 |
| 1978 | 202 |
| 1979 | 193 |
| 1980 | 193 |
| 1981 | 179 |
| 1982 | 175 |
| 1983 | 167 |
| 1984 | 171 |
| 1985 | 193 |
| 1986 | 189 |
| 1987 | 230 |
| 1988 | 201 |
| 1989 | 199 |
| 1990 | 219 |
| 1991 | 197 |
| 1992 | 214 |
| 1993 | 222 |
| 1994 | 221 |
| 1995 | 194 |
| 1999 | 146 |
| 2000 | 216 |
| 2001 | 195 |
| 2002 | 169 |
| 2003 | 235 |
| 2004 | 207 |
| 2005 | 197 |
| 2006 | 179 |
| 2007 | 188 |
| 2008 | 165 |
| 2009 | 178 |
| 2010 | 164 |
| 2011 | 183 |
| 2012 | 179 |
| 2013 | 218 |
| 2014 | 235 |
| 2015 | 246 |
| 2016 | 230 |
| 2017 | 246 |
| 2018 | 220 |
| 2019 | 203 |
| 2020 | 194 |
| 2021 | 202 |
| 2022 | 194 |
| 2023 | 194 |
| 2024 | 222 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1949 | 13.6 °C |
| 1950 | 13.5 °C |
| 1951 | 14.2 °C |
| 1952 | 13.4 °C |
| 1953 | 13.7 °C |
| 1954 | 12.7 °C |
| 1955 | 12.2 °C |
| 1956 | 14.1 °C |
| 1957 | 14.3 °C |
| 1958 | 15.7 °C |
| 1959 | 13.7 °C |
| 1960 | 13.8 °C |
| 1961 | 14.6 °C |
| 1962 | 13.4 °C |
| 1963 | 14.1 °C |
| 1964 | 12.9 °C |
| 1965 | 13.6 °C |
| 1966 | 13.2 °C |
| 1967 | 14.6 °C |
| 1968 | 13.9 °C |
| 1969 | 13.5 °C |
| 1970 | 13.7 °C |
| 1971 | 13.2 °C |
| 1972 | 13.2 °C |
| 1973 | 13.8 °C |
| 1974 | 14.1 °C |
| 1975 | 13.2 °C |
| 1976 | 13.7 °C |
| 1977 | 14.8 °C |
| 1978 | 14.6 °C |
| 1979 | 14.4 °C |
| 1980 | 13.7 °C |
| 1981 | 13.9 °C |
| 1982 | 13.6 °C |
| 1983 | 13.8 °C |
| 1984 | 13.2 °C |
| 1985 | 14.4 °C |
| 1986 | 14.0 °C |
| 1987 | 14.7 °C |
| 1988 | 14.1 °C |
| 1989 | 14.7 °C |
| 1990 | 15.3 °C |
| 1991 | 14.3 °C |
| 1992 | 15.1 °C |
| 1993 | 14.7 °C |
| 1994 | 15.1 °C |
| 1995 | 15.2 °C |
| 1999 | 13.1 °C |
| 2000 | 13.4 °C |
| 2001 | 13.2 °C |
| 2002 | 13.4 °C |
| 2003 | 14.3 °C |
| 2004 | 14.8 °C |
| 2005 | 14.2 °C |
| 2006 | 14.0 °C |
| 2007 | 13.7 °C |
| 2008 | 12.9 °C |
| 2009 | 14.6 °C |
| 2010 | 14.0 °C |
| 2011 | 13.9 °C |
| 2012 | 14.0 °C |
| 2013 | 15.1 °C |
| 2014 | 15.7 °C |
| 2015 | 15.6 °C |
| 2016 | 15.5 °C |
| 2017 | 15.2 °C |
| 2018 | 15.3 °C |
| 2019 | 15.5 °C |
| 2020 | 15.2 °C |
| 2021 | 15.6 °C |
| 2022 | 15.1 °C |
| 2023 | 15.2 °C |
| 2024 | 14.2 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1949, Ferndale's last spring frost has come about 3 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 5 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Bellingham Intl Ap (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.