When to plant in Home, WA
Planting dates worked out from Home's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Last spring frost
- Early · riskyFeb 149 years in 10 still get a later frost
- TypicalMar 11about half of years get a later frost
- Safe to plant outMar 281 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
- EarlyNov 21 year in 10 has frost by then
- TypicalNov 21about half of years have had frost
- LateDec 129 years in 10 have had frost by then
A typical year has 252 frost-free days. Plan for tender crops to be ripe by the early date.
Station used: Tacoma Narrows Ap · 14.2 km away · station 88 m, town 32 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 11 – Mar 25 | May 6 – May 20 | Jun 30 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 25 – Mar 11 | May 6 – May 20 | Jul 5 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 14 – Jan 21 | Feb 18 – Mar 4 | Mar 30 |
| Peas | — | Feb 18 – Mar 18 | Apr 14 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 28 – May 19 | Jun 17 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 23 – May 4 | May 22 |
| Beet | — | Mar 23 – May 4 | May 12 |
| Potato | — | Mar 23 – Apr 13 | Jun 1 |
| Kale | Jan 14 – Jan 28 | Feb 25 – Mar 11 | Apr 9 |
| Broccoli | Jan 7 – Jan 21 | Feb 18 – Mar 11 | Apr 19 |
| Cucumber | Apr 8 – Apr 15 | May 6 – May 20 | Jun 25 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 8 – Apr 15 | May 6 – May 20 | Jun 20 |
| Winter squash | Apr 8 – Apr 15 | May 6 – May 20 | Jul 25 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 28 – May 19 | Jun 27 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 18 – Mar 11 | May 19 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 14 – Nov 11 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 18 – Mar 18 | Mar 28 |
| Basil | Mar 25 – Apr 8 | May 6 – May 20 | Jul 2 |
Home'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 |
|---|---|
| 1999 | Mar 28 |
| 2000 | Mar 15 |
| 2001 | Mar 3 |
| 2002 | Mar 8 |
| 2003 | Feb 25 |
| 2004 | Feb 13 |
| 2005 | Feb 23 |
| 2006 | Mar 10 |
| 2007 | Feb 27 |
| 2008 | Mar 28 |
| 2009 | Mar 26 |
| 2010 | Mar 14 |
| 2011 | Apr 8 |
| 2012 | Mar 23 |
| 2013 | Mar 22 |
| 2014 | Feb 9 |
| 2015 | Mar 4 |
| 2016 | Feb 2 |
| 2017 | Mar 19 |
| 2018 | Mar 15 |
| 2019 | Mar 11 |
| 2020 | Apr 4 |
| 2021 | Apr 5 |
| 2022 | Apr 13 |
| 2023 | Mar 12 |
| 2024 | Mar 7 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 271 |
| 2000 | 240 |
| 2001 | 293 |
| 2002 | 238 |
| 2003 | 248 |
| 2004 | 287 |
| 2005 | 277 |
| 2006 | 261 |
| 2007 | 247 |
| 2008 | 259 |
| 2009 | 232 |
| 2010 | 251 |
| 2011 | 211 |
| 2012 | 231 |
| 2013 | 245 |
| 2014 | 276 |
| 2015 | 266 |
| 2016 | 306 |
| 2017 | 230 |
| 2018 | 265 |
| 2019 | 254 |
| 2020 | 218 |
| 2021 | 254 |
| 2022 | 209 |
| 2023 | 229 |
| 2024 | 298 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 14.2 °C |
| 2000 | 14.6 °C |
| 2001 | 14.4 °C |
| 2002 | 15.5 °C |
| 2003 | 15.9 °C |
| 2004 | 16.2 °C |
| 2005 | 15.3 °C |
| 2006 | 15.5 °C |
| 2007 | 15.0 °C |
| 2008 | 14.2 °C |
| 2009 | 15.4 °C |
| 2010 | 14.2 °C |
| 2011 | 14.1 °C |
| 2012 | 14.8 °C |
| 2013 | 15.9 °C |
| 2014 | 16.4 °C |
| 2015 | 16.5 °C |
| 2016 | 16.0 °C |
| 2017 | 15.5 °C |
| 2018 | 15.7 °C |
| 2019 | 15.6 °C |
| 2020 | 15.1 °C |
| 2021 | 15.2 °C |
| 2022 | 15.6 °C |
| 2023 | 16.2 °C |
| 2024 | 16.1 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Tacoma Narrows Ap (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.