When to plant in Kittitas, WA
Planting dates worked out from Kittitas's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 16
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 3
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 6
1 year in 10 by Sep 24
Frost-free days
155
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Ellensburg Bowers Fld · 10.3 km away · station 532 m, town 502 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 21 – Apr 4 | May 16 – May 30 | Jul 10 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | May 16 – May 30 | Jul 15 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 1 – Mar 8 | Apr 5 – Apr 19 | May 15 |
| Peas | — | Mar 22 – Apr 19 | May 16 |
| Bush beans | — | May 9 – May 30 | Jun 28 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 12 – May 24 | Jun 11 |
| Beet | — | Apr 6 – May 18 | May 26 |
| Potato | — | Apr 12 – May 3 | Jun 21 |
| Kale | Feb 22 – Mar 8 | Apr 5 – Apr 19 | May 18 |
| Broccoli | Feb 22 – Mar 8 | Apr 5 – Apr 26 | Jun 4 |
| Cucumber | Apr 18 – Apr 25 | May 16 – May 30 | Jul 5 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 18 – Apr 25 | May 16 – May 30 | Jun 30 |
| Winter squash | Apr 18 – Apr 25 | May 16 – May 30 | Aug 4 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 9 – May 30 | Jul 8 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 5 – Apr 26 | Jul 4 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 22 – Oct 20 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 22 – Apr 19 | Apr 29 |
| Basil | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | May 16 – May 30 | Jul 12 |
Kittitas'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 |
|---|---|
| 1941 | May 9 |
| 1942 | May 12 |
| 1943 | Apr 25 |
| 1944 | May 10 |
| 1945 | Apr 28 |
| 1946 | May 1 |
| 1947 | Apr 16 |
| 1948 | May 4 |
| 1949 | May 5 |
| 1950 | Apr 30 |
| 1951 | Apr 27 |
| 1952 | May 5 |
| 1953 | May 22 |
| 1954 | Jun 18 |
| 1955 | May 14 |
| 1956 | Apr 30 |
| 1957 | Apr 20 |
| 1958 | May 13 |
| 1959 | May 12 |
| 1999 | May 26 |
| 2000 | May 10 |
| 2001 | May 7 |
| 2002 | May 16 |
| 2003 | May 19 |
| 2004 | Apr 19 |
| 2005 | Apr 15 |
| 2006 | May 13 |
| 2007 | May 14 |
| 2008 | May 2 |
| 2009 | May 1 |
| 2010 | May 9 |
| 2011 | May 4 |
| 2012 | May 11 |
| 2013 | May 1 |
| 2014 | Apr 28 |
| 2015 | Apr 26 |
| 2016 | Mar 26 |
| 2017 | Apr 29 |
| 2018 | Apr 24 |
| 2019 | May 1 |
| 2020 | May 4 |
| 2021 | Apr 21 |
| 2022 | Apr 24 |
| 2023 | Apr 20 |
| 2024 | May 3 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1941 | 132 |
| 1942 | 152 |
| 1943 | 171 |
| 1944 | 130 |
| 1945 | 151 |
| 1946 | 143 |
| 1947 | 183 |
| 1948 | 141 |
| 1949 | 137 |
| 1950 | 152 |
| 1951 | 172 |
| 1952 | 161 |
| 1953 | 129 |
| 1954 | 102 |
| 1955 | 130 |
| 1956 | 144 |
| 1957 | 151 |
| 1958 | 133 |
| 1999 | 123 |
| 2000 | 134 |
| 2001 | 144 |
| 2002 | 127 |
| 2003 | 145 |
| 2004 | 187 |
| 2005 | 171 |
| 2006 | 149 |
| 2007 | 155 |
| 2008 | 143 |
| 2009 | 157 |
| 2010 | 156 |
| 2011 | 165 |
| 2012 | 144 |
| 2013 | 155 |
| 2014 | 181 |
| 2015 | 153 |
| 2016 | 199 |
| 2017 | 157 |
| 2018 | 161 |
| 2019 | 151 |
| 2020 | 169 |
| 2021 | 168 |
| 2022 | 187 |
| 2023 | 162 |
| 2024 | 149 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1941 | 15.4 °C |
| 1942 | 16.3 °C |
| 1943 | 16.0 °C |
| 1944 | 16.3 °C |
| 1945 | 15.9 °C |
| 1946 | 15.7 °C |
| 1947 | 16.2 °C |
| 1948 | 14.6 °C |
| 1949 | 16.0 °C |
| 1950 | 15.4 °C |
| 1951 | 16.1 °C |
| 1952 | 16.0 °C |
| 1953 | 14.6 °C |
| 1954 | 14.3 °C |
| 1955 | 14.2 °C |
| 1956 | 16.0 °C |
| 1957 | 16.0 °C |
| 1958 | 17.5 °C |
| 1959 | 14.6 °C |
| 1999 | 14.2 °C |
| 2000 | 15.0 °C |
| 2001 | 15.5 °C |
| 2002 | 15.3 °C |
| 2003 | 16.4 °C |
| 2004 | 18.1 °C |
| 2005 | 17.3 °C |
| 2006 | 17.8 °C |
| 2007 | 17.2 °C |
| 2008 | 16.5 °C |
| 2009 | 17.8 °C |
| 2010 | 16.2 °C |
| 2011 | 15.9 °C |
| 2012 | 17.3 °C |
| 2013 | 18.4 °C |
| 2014 | 18.0 °C |
| 2015 | 18.7 °C |
| 2016 | 17.9 °C |
| 2017 | 17.7 °C |
| 2018 | 17.6 °C |
| 2019 | 17.5 °C |
| 2020 | 17.4 °C |
| 2021 | 18.1 °C |
| 2022 | 17.0 °C |
| 2023 | 18.2 °C |
| 2024 | 17.8 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1941, Kittitas'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 Ellensburg Bowers Fld (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.