When to plant in Long Beach, WA
Planting dates worked out from Long Beach's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 21
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 29
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 3
1 year in 10 by Oct 13
Frost-free days
214
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Long Beach Exp Stn · 2.1 km away · station 8 m, town 4 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 28 – Apr 11 | May 23 – Jun 6 | Jul 17 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 14 – Mar 28 | May 23 – Jun 6 | Jul 22 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 25 – Feb 1 | Mar 1 – Mar 15 | Apr 10 |
| Peas | — | Feb 15 – Mar 15 | Apr 11 |
| Bush beans | — | May 9 – May 30 | Jun 28 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 24 – May 5 | May 23 |
| Beet | — | Mar 24 – May 5 | May 13 |
| Potato | — | Mar 24 – Apr 14 | Jun 2 |
| Kale | Jan 18 – Feb 1 | Mar 1 – Mar 15 | Apr 13 |
| Broccoli | Jan 18 – Feb 1 | Mar 1 – Mar 22 | Apr 30 |
| Cucumber | Apr 25 – May 2 | May 23 – Jun 6 | Jul 12 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 25 – May 2 | May 23 – Jun 6 | Jul 7 |
| Winter squash | Apr 25 – May 2 | May 23 – Jun 6 | Aug 11 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 9 – May 30 | Jul 8 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 1 – Mar 22 | May 30 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 13 – Nov 10 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 15 – Mar 15 | Mar 25 |
| Basil | Apr 11 – Apr 25 | May 23 – Jun 6 | Jul 19 |
Long Beach'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 |
|---|---|
| 1968 | Apr 21 |
| 1969 | Apr 7 |
| 1970 | Apr 13 |
| 1971 | Apr 18 |
| 1972 | Apr 17 |
| 1973 | Apr 7 |
| 1974 | May 17 |
| 1975 | Apr 30 |
| 1976 | Apr 3 |
| 1977 | May 12 |
| 1978 | Apr 9 |
| 1979 | Mar 22 |
| 1980 | Apr 11 |
| 1981 | Apr 13 |
| 1983 | Apr 25 |
| 1984 | Apr 27 |
| 1985 | May 12 |
| 1986 | Apr 30 |
| 1987 | Apr 20 |
| 1988 | Apr 8 |
| 1989 | Mar 23 |
| 1990 | Apr 4 |
| 1991 | Mar 27 |
| 1992 | Mar 18 |
| 1993 | Apr 4 |
| 1994 | Mar 7 |
| 1995 | Apr 5 |
| 1996 | Mar 28 |
| 1997 | Apr 6 |
| 1998 | Mar 29 |
| 1999 | Apr 3 |
| 2000 | Mar 24 |
| 2001 | Apr 17 |
| 2002 | Apr 24 |
| 2003 | Apr 4 |
| 2004 | Apr 2 |
| 2005 | Mar 18 |
| 2006 | Apr 22 |
| 2007 | Apr 20 |
| 2008 | Apr 21 |
| 2010 | Mar 20 |
| 2011 | May 1 |
| 2012 | Apr 7 |
| 2013 | Mar 9 |
| 2014 | Mar 23 |
| 2015 | Mar 5 |
| 2016 | Jan 4 |
| 2017 | Mar 20 |
| 2018 | Apr 19 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1968 | 192 |
| 1969 | 187 |
| 1970 | 151 |
| 1971 | 179 |
| 1972 | 162 |
| 1973 | 184 |
| 1974 | 140 |
| 1975 | 201 |
| 1976 | 228 |
| 1977 | 179 |
| 1978 | 198 |
| 1979 | 230 |
| 1980 | 187 |
| 1981 | 180 |
| 1983 | 146 |
| 1984 | 170 |
| 1985 | 139 |
| 1986 | 193 |
| 1987 | 221 |
| 1988 | 219 |
| 1989 | 219 |
| 1990 | 215 |
| 1991 | 214 |
| 1992 | 209 |
| 1993 | 210 |
| 1994 | 240 |
| 1995 | 208 |
| 1996 | 216 |
| 1997 | 262 |
| 1998 | 214 |
| 1999 | 212 |
| 2000 | 229 |
| 2001 | 194 |
| 2002 | 188 |
| 2003 | 209 |
| 2004 | 215 |
| 2005 | 241 |
| 2006 | 190 |
| 2007 | 193 |
| 2008 | 172 |
| 2010 | 245 |
| 2011 | 178 |
| 2012 | 215 |
| 2013 | 233 |
| 2014 | 235 |
| 2015 | 259 |
| 2016 | 279 |
| 2017 | 184 |
| 2018 | 202 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1968 | 12.7 °C |
| 1969 | 12.8 °C |
| 1970 | 11.7 °C |
| 1971 | 12.1 °C |
| 1972 | 12.0 °C |
| 1973 | 12.0 °C |
| 1974 | 12.5 °C |
| 1975 | 11.9 °C |
| 1976 | 12.3 °C |
| 1977 | 12.3 °C |
| 1978 | 12.8 °C |
| 1979 | 13.2 °C |
| 1980 | 12.3 °C |
| 1981 | 13.0 °C |
| 1983 | 13.1 °C |
| 1984 | 12.1 °C |
| 1985 | 12.2 °C |
| 1986 | 12.6 °C |
| 1987 | 13.1 °C |
| 1988 | 12.5 °C |
| 1989 | 13.4 °C |
| 1990 | 13.7 °C |
| 1991 | 12.9 °C |
| 1992 | 13.7 °C |
| 1993 | 13.7 °C |
| 1994 | 13.7 °C |
| 1995 | 13.8 °C |
| 1996 | 13.3 °C |
| 1997 | 14.0 °C |
| 1998 | 13.4 °C |
| 1999 | 12.3 °C |
| 2000 | 13.2 °C |
| 2001 | 12.2 °C |
| 2002 | 12.9 °C |
| 2003 | 13.3 °C |
| 2004 | 14.2 °C |
| 2005 | 12.6 °C |
| 2006 | 12.2 °C |
| 2007 | 12.9 °C |
| 2008 | 11.9 °C |
| 2010 | 12.4 °C |
| 2011 | 12.5 °C |
| 2012 | 12.6 °C |
| 2013 | 13.4 °C |
| 2014 | 14.0 °C |
| 2015 | 13.8 °C |
| 2016 | 14.0 °C |
| 2017 | 13.5 °C |
| 2018 | 13.4 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1968, Long Beach's last spring frost has come about 6 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 10 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Long Beach Exp Stn (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.