When to plant in Maple Heights-Lake Desire, WA

Planting dates worked out from Maple Heights-Lake Desire's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.

Safe to plant out

May 9

1 year in 10 has a later frost

Average last frost

Apr 20

about a 50% chance of a later one

Average first fall frost

Oct 24

1 year in 10 by Oct 3

Frost-free days

180

median, 1991–2020

Station used: Landsburg · 12.7 km away · station 163 m, town 239 m. How we match towns to stations

This season

Plan your garden.

Build my Maple Heights-Lake Desire plan

Planting dates for common crops

Crop	Start indoors	Plant out or sow	Harvest from
Tomato	Mar 17 – Mar 31	May 12 – May 26	Jul 6
Sweet pepper	Mar 3 – Mar 17	May 12 – May 26	Jul 11
Lettuce (leaf)	Feb 16 – Feb 23	Mar 23 – Apr 6	May 2
Peas	—	Mar 11 – Apr 8	May 5
Bush beans	—	May 3 – May 24	Jun 22
Carrot	—	Apr 6 – May 18	Jun 5
Beet	—	Apr 6 – May 18	May 26
Potato	—	Apr 6 – Apr 27	Jun 15
Kale	Feb 9 – Feb 23	Mar 23 – Apr 6	May 5
Broccoli	Feb 9 – Feb 23	Mar 23 – Apr 13	May 22
Cucumber	Apr 14 – Apr 21	May 12 – May 26	Jul 1
Summer squash and zucchini	Apr 14 – Apr 21	May 12 – May 26	Jun 26
Winter squash	Apr 14 – Apr 21	May 12 – May 26	Jul 31
Sweet corn	—	May 3 – May 24	Jul 2
Onion (from sets)	—	Mar 23 – Apr 13	Jun 21
Garlic	—	Oct 2 – Oct 30 (fall)	following summer
Spinach	—	Mar 11 – Apr 8	Apr 18
Basil	Mar 31 – Apr 14	May 12 – May 26	Jul 8

Plan all 65 crops for Maple Heights-Lake Desire

Maple Heights-Lake Desire'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
1918	Apr 27
1919	May 6
1920	May 22
1921	May 4
1922	May 27
1923	Apr 9
1924	Apr 25
1925	May 3
1926	May 6
1928	May 3
1929	May 17
1930	May 26
1931	May 9
1932	May 26
1933	Jun 1
1934	Apr 3
1936	May 17
1937	May 23
1938	May 14
1939	Jun 1
1940	May 27
1941	Apr 19
1942	May 11
1943	May 17
1944	May 10
1945	Apr 28
1946	May 6
1947	May 3
1948	May 2
1949	May 5
1950	May 24
1951	May 1
1952	May 5
1953	May 31
1954	May 28
1955	May 5
1956	May 13
1957	Apr 21
1958	May 13
1959	May 20
1960	May 8
1961	May 11
1962	May 7
1963	May 16
1964	May 25
1965	May 8
1966	May 29
1967	Apr 29
1968	May 1
1969	May 4
1970	May 18
1971	May 21
1972	May 1
1973	May 11
1974	May 17
1975	May 4
1976	Apr 26
1977	Apr 4
1978	Apr 15
1979	Mar 20
1980	Feb 16
1982	May 5
1983	Apr 26
1985	May 12
1986	Apr 30
1987	Apr 25
1988	Apr 19
1989	Apr 17
1990	May 13
1991	Apr 11
1992	Apr 9
1993	Apr 14
1994	Mar 26
1995	Apr 22
1996	May 5
1997	May 3
1999	Apr 27
2001	Apr 12
2002	Apr 24
2003	Apr 4
2004	May 11
2005	Apr 12
2006	May 2
2007	Apr 20
2008	Apr 26
2010	May 8
2011	May 30
2012	May 11
2013	May 1
2014	Mar 31
2015	Apr 16
2016	Mar 29
2017	Apr 16
2018	Mar 25
2019	Apr 28
2020	Apr 13
2021	Apr 15
2022	May 18
2023	Jul 5

Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Frost-free days
1919	144
1920	148
1921	148
1922	154
1923	196
1924	162
1928	127
1929	131
1930	126
1931	150
1932	144
1933	115
1934	174
1938	152
1939	105
1940	147
1941	206
1942	153
1943	158
1944	157
1945	175
1946	156
1947	200
1948	144
1949	160
1950	128
1951	176
1952	161
1953	136
1954	124
1955	170
1956	131
1957	165
1958	140
1959	148
1960	153
1961	133
1962	150
1963	155
1964	148
1965	154
1966	133
1967	173
1968	153
1969	152
1970	117
1971	146
1972	146
1973	144
1974	140
1975	171
1976	171
1977	180
1978	197
1979	225
1980	279
1982	164
1983	153
1985	140
1986	172
1987	174
1988	189
1989	181
1990	145
1991	199
1992	187
1993	205
1994	220
1995	178
1996	163
1997	169
1999	171
2001	198
2003	208
2004	138
2005	164
2006	179
2007	188
2008	167
2010	149
2011	146
2012	180
2013	180
2014	224
2015	201
2016	249
2017	180
2018	226
2019	155
2020	194
2021	179
2022	172

Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Growing-season temperature
1917	13.3 °C
1919	13.3 °C
1920	14.2 °C
1921	14.1 °C
1922	13.8 °C
1923	14.5 °C
1924	13.7 °C
1926	15.2 °C
1928	13.9 °C
1929	13.5 °C
1930	14.0 °C
1931	14.4 °C
1932	13.6 °C
1933	13.1 °C
1934	14.6 °C
1938	14.2 °C
1939	14.0 °C
1940	14.9 °C
1941	14.5 °C
1942	14.7 °C
1943	13.9 °C
1944	14.2 °C
1945	13.7 °C
1946	14.1 °C
1947	14.3 °C
1948	13.1 °C
1949	13.6 °C
1950	13.5 °C
1951	14.4 °C
1952	13.9 °C
1953	13.3 °C
1954	12.4 °C
1955	12.1 °C
1956	13.2 °C
1957	13.2 °C
1958	14.8 °C
1959	12.8 °C
1960	13.3 °C
1961	14.0 °C
1962	13.0 °C
1963	13.3 °C
1964	12.3 °C
1965	13.2 °C
1966	13.3 °C
1967	14.2 °C
1968	13.2 °C
1969	13.8 °C
1970	13.1 °C
1971	13.3 °C
1972	13.3 °C
1973	13.2 °C
1975	12.5 °C
1976	13.8 °C
1977	14.6 °C
1978	14.7 °C
1979	14.4 °C
1980	14.1 °C
1981	13.7 °C
1982	13.5 °C
1983	13.5 °C
1985	13.8 °C
1986	13.5 °C
1987	14.5 °C
1988	13.6 °C
1989	14.2 °C
1990	15.2 °C
1991	14.1 °C
1992	15.4 °C
1993	14.4 °C
1994	14.7 °C
1995	14.3 °C
1996	13.2 °C
1997	14.7 °C
1999	13.8 °C
2003	14.9 °C
2004	14.9 °C
2005	14.2 °C
2006	14.3 °C
2007	14.0 °C
2008	13.3 °C
2010	13.5 °C
2011	13.2 °C
2012	14.1 °C
2013	14.7 °C
2014	15.6 °C
2015	15.5 °C
2016	15.3 °C
2017	15.5 °C
2018	15.3 °C
2019	15.0 °C
2020	15.7 °C
2021	15.9 °C
2022	16.1 °C

What this means for you: Since 1918, Maple Heights-Lake Desire's last spring frost has come about 2 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 Landsburg (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.

Nearby towns

Fairwood East Renton Highlands East Hill-Meridian Maple Valley Mirrormont Hobart