When to plant in Montesano, WA
Planting dates worked out from Montesano's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 17
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 4
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 13
1 year in 10 by Sep 27
Frost-free days
159
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Elma · 15.6 km away · station 21 m, town 19 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 22 – Apr 5 | May 17 – May 31 | Jul 11 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | May 17 – May 31 | Jul 16 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 2 – Mar 9 | Apr 6 – Apr 20 | May 16 |
| Peas | — | Mar 23 – Apr 20 | May 17 |
| Bush beans | — | May 10 – May 31 | Jun 29 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 13 – May 25 | Jun 12 |
| Beet | — | Apr 6 – May 18 | May 26 |
| Potato | — | Apr 13 – May 4 | Jun 22 |
| Kale | Feb 23 – Mar 9 | Apr 6 – Apr 20 | May 19 |
| Broccoli | Feb 23 – Mar 9 | Apr 6 – Apr 27 | Jun 5 |
| Cucumber | Apr 19 – Apr 26 | May 17 – May 31 | Jul 6 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 19 – Apr 26 | May 17 – May 31 | Jul 1 |
| Winter squash | Apr 19 – Apr 26 | May 17 – May 31 | Aug 5 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 10 – May 31 | Jul 9 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 6 – Apr 27 | Jul 5 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 29 – Oct 27 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 23 – Apr 20 | Apr 30 |
| Basil | Apr 5 – Apr 19 | May 17 – May 31 | Jul 13 |
Montesano'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 |
|---|---|
| 1940 | May 26 |
| 1941 | May 8 |
| 1942 | Apr 26 |
| 1943 | Apr 26 |
| 1944 | May 10 |
| 1945 | Apr 28 |
| 1946 | Apr 30 |
| 1947 | Apr 11 |
| 1949 | May 5 |
| 1950 | May 24 |
| 1951 | May 1 |
| 1952 | May 5 |
| 1953 | Apr 29 |
| 1955 | May 31 |
| 1956 | May 13 |
| 1957 | Apr 9 |
| 1958 | May 13 |
| 1959 | May 11 |
| 1960 | May 22 |
| 1962 | May 19 |
| 1963 | May 4 |
| 1964 | May 15 |
| 1965 | May 8 |
| 1966 | May 27 |
| 1967 | May 25 |
| 1968 | May 2 |
| 1969 | Apr 30 |
| 1970 | May 11 |
| 1971 | Jun 5 |
| 1972 | May 25 |
| 1973 | Apr 29 |
| 1974 | Apr 13 |
| 1975 | Apr 30 |
| 1976 | Apr 26 |
| 1977 | May 12 |
| 1978 | May 6 |
| 1979 | Apr 10 |
| 1980 | Jun 3 |
| 1981 | May 8 |
| 1982 | May 19 |
| 1983 | May 10 |
| 1984 | May 6 |
| 1985 | May 15 |
| 1986 | May 15 |
| 1987 | Apr 25 |
| 1988 | May 1 |
| 1989 | May 12 |
| 1990 | Apr 9 |
| 1991 | Jun 4 |
| 1992 | May 12 |
| 1993 | Apr 14 |
| 1994 | May 3 |
| 1995 | Apr 19 |
| 1996 | May 9 |
| 1997 | May 2 |
| 1998 | Apr 26 |
| 1999 | May 13 |
| 2000 | May 7 |
| 2001 | May 10 |
| 2002 | May 10 |
| 2003 | May 19 |
| 2004 | Apr 29 |
| 2005 | Apr 14 |
| 2006 | May 10 |
| 2007 | May 5 |
| 2008 | May 12 |
| 2010 | May 7 |
| 2011 | May 17 |
| 2012 | May 19 |
| 2013 | May 2 |
| 2014 | May 7 |
| 2015 | Apr 16 |
| 2016 | Apr 26 |
| 2017 | Apr 29 |
| 2018 | Apr 23 |
| 2019 | Apr 29 |
| 2020 | May 4 |
| 2021 | Apr 15 |
| 2022 | May 10 |
| 2023 | Apr 20 |
| 2024 | May 1 |
| 2025 | May 5 |
| 2026 | Apr 17 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1940 | 160 |
| 1941 | 189 |
| 1942 | 184 |
| 1943 | 187 |
| 1944 | 189 |
| 1945 | 172 |
| 1946 | 163 |
| 1947 | 159 |
| 1949 | 129 |
| 1951 | 177 |
| 1952 | 161 |
| 1953 | 175 |
| 1955 | 163 |
| 1956 | 163 |
| 1957 | 162 |
| 1958 | 132 |
| 1959 | 171 |
| 1960 | 139 |
| 1962 | 187 |
| 1963 | 199 |
| 1964 | 163 |
| 1965 | 131 |
| 1966 | 138 |
| 1967 | 161 |
| 1968 | 181 |
| 1969 | 164 |
| 1970 | 124 |
| 1971 | 132 |
| 1972 | 123 |
| 1973 | 185 |
| 1974 | 174 |
| 1975 | 199 |
| 1976 | 173 |
| 1977 | 144 |
| 1978 | 167 |
| 1979 | 204 |
| 1980 | 127 |
| 1981 | 157 |
| 1982 | 152 |
| 1983 | 141 |
| 1984 | 162 |
| 1985 | 135 |
| 1986 | 149 |
| 1987 | 167 |
| 1988 | 178 |
| 1989 | 143 |
| 1990 | 179 |
| 1991 | 144 |
| 1992 | 146 |
| 1994 | 152 |
| 1995 | 192 |
| 1996 | 159 |
| 1997 | 170 |
| 1998 | 175 |
| 1999 | 137 |
| 2001 | 159 |
| 2002 | 133 |
| 2003 | 163 |
| 2004 | 177 |
| 2005 | 160 |
| 2006 | 152 |
| 2007 | 172 |
| 2008 | 150 |
| 2010 | 158 |
| 2011 | 161 |
| 2012 | 136 |
| 2013 | 178 |
| 2014 | 186 |
| 2015 | 159 |
| 2016 | 167 |
| 2017 | 157 |
| 2018 | 173 |
| 2019 | 153 |
| 2020 | 171 |
| 2021 | 178 |
| 2022 | 182 |
| 2023 | 188 |
| 2024 | 189 |
| 2025 | 161 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1940 | 15.3 °C |
| 1941 | 14.9 °C |
| 1942 | 14.6 °C |
| 1943 | 14.3 °C |
| 1944 | 14.2 °C |
| 1945 | 13.9 °C |
| 1946 | 14.1 °C |
| 1947 | 15.0 °C |
| 1949 | 14.5 °C |
| 1951 | 15.1 °C |
| 1952 | 14.4 °C |
| 1953 | 13.6 °C |
| 1955 | 13.2 °C |
| 1956 | 14.8 °C |
| 1957 | 15.0 °C |
| 1958 | 16.2 °C |
| 1959 | 14.5 °C |
| 1960 | 14.2 °C |
| 1962 | 14.0 °C |
| 1963 | 14.8 °C |
| 1964 | 13.7 °C |
| 1965 | 14.7 °C |
| 1966 | 14.7 °C |
| 1967 | 15.8 °C |
| 1968 | 14.8 °C |
| 1969 | 15.2 °C |
| 1970 | 14.4 °C |
| 1971 | 14.4 °C |
| 1972 | 14.6 °C |
| 1973 | 14.6 °C |
| 1974 | 15.0 °C |
| 1975 | 14.4 °C |
| 1976 | 14.5 °C |
| 1977 | 14.8 °C |
| 1978 | 15.1 °C |
| 1979 | 15.3 °C |
| 1980 | 14.8 °C |
| 1981 | 15.1 °C |
| 1985 | 15.1 °C |
| 1986 | 15.0 °C |
| 1987 | 15.7 °C |
| 1988 | 14.6 °C |
| 1989 | 15.2 °C |
| 1990 | 15.6 °C |
| 1991 | 14.3 °C |
| 1992 | 15.6 °C |
| 1993 | 15.2 °C |
| 1994 | 15.4 °C |
| 1995 | 15.4 °C |
| 1996 | 14.6 °C |
| 1997 | 15.1 °C |
| 2005 | 15.6 °C |
| 2006 | 15.6 °C |
| 2007 | 15.3 °C |
| 2008 | 14.8 °C |
| 2010 | 15.0 °C |
| 2011 | 14.5 °C |
| 2012 | 15.1 °C |
| 2013 | 15.8 °C |
| 2014 | 16.6 °C |
| 2015 | 16.4 °C |
| 2016 | 16.5 °C |
| 2017 | 16.3 °C |
| 2018 | 16.2 °C |
| 2019 | 16.2 °C |
| 2020 | 16.4 °C |
| 2021 | 16.9 °C |
| 2022 | 16.0 °C |
| 2023 | 16.7 °C |
| 2024 | 16.1 °C |
| 2025 | 17.0 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1940, Montesano's last spring frost has come about 1 day earlier per decade, on average. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Elma (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.