When to plant in Oak Harbor, WA
Planting dates worked out from Oak Harbor's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 16
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 26
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 5
1 year in 10 by Oct 15
Frost-free days
220
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Whidbey Island Nas · 6.6 km away · station 14 m, town 29 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) | Jan 22 – Jan 29 | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | Apr 7 |
| Peas | — | Feb 12 – Mar 12 | Apr 8 |
| Bush beans | — | May 3 – May 24 | Jun 22 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 22 – May 3 | May 21 |
| Beet | — | Mar 22 – May 3 | May 11 |
| Potato | — | Mar 22 – Apr 12 | May 31 |
| Kale | Jan 15 – Jan 29 | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | Apr 10 |
| Broccoli | Jan 15 – Jan 29 | Feb 26 – Mar 19 | Apr 27 |
| 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 3 – May 24 | Jul 2 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 26 – Mar 19 | May 27 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 7 – Nov 4 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 12 – Mar 12 | Mar 22 |
| Basil | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | May 16 – May 30 | Jul 12 |
Oak Harbor'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 |
|---|---|
| 1946 | Mar 30 |
| 1947 | Mar 27 |
| 1948 | Apr 27 |
| 1949 | Mar 31 |
| 1950 | Mar 11 |
| 1951 | Apr 23 |
| 1952 | Apr 8 |
| 1953 | Apr 2 |
| 1954 | May 1 |
| 1955 | Mar 26 |
| 1956 | Mar 16 |
| 1957 | Mar 1 |
| 1958 | Mar 14 |
| 1959 | Feb 12 |
| 1960 | Mar 19 |
| 1961 | Mar 4 |
| 1962 | Mar 28 |
| 1963 | Apr 1 |
| 1964 | Apr 19 |
| 1965 | Apr 4 |
| 1966 | Mar 25 |
| 1967 | Apr 6 |
| 1968 | Apr 21 |
| 1969 | Mar 25 |
| 1970 | Apr 16 |
| 1971 | Mar 21 |
| 1972 | Apr 2 |
| 1973 | Apr 7 |
| 1974 | Mar 21 |
| 1975 | Apr 1 |
| 1976 | Apr 2 |
| 1977 | Feb 24 |
| 1978 | Mar 3 |
| 1979 | Mar 13 |
| 1980 | Apr 2 |
| 1981 | Apr 13 |
| 1982 | Apr 6 |
| 1983 | Feb 5 |
| 1984 | Mar 4 |
| 1985 | Apr 21 |
| 1986 | Apr 10 |
| 1987 | Mar 30 |
| 1988 | Mar 17 |
| 1989 | Mar 4 |
| 1990 | Mar 26 |
| 1991 | Mar 27 |
| 1992 | Feb 7 |
| 1993 | Mar 27 |
| 1994 | Mar 25 |
| 1995 | Apr 16 |
| 1996 | Mar 28 |
| 1997 | Apr 6 |
| 1998 | Apr 9 |
| 2001 | Apr 15 |
| 2002 | May 7 |
| 2003 | Mar 8 |
| 2005 | Mar 22 |
| 2007 | Apr 3 |
| 2008 | Apr 22 |
| 2009 | Apr 4 |
| 2010 | Apr 10 |
| 2011 | Apr 8 |
| 2012 | Apr 7 |
| 2013 | Mar 24 |
| 2014 | Feb 22 |
| 2015 | Mar 4 |
| 2016 | Mar 17 |
| 2017 | Feb 28 |
| 2018 | Mar 10 |
| 2019 | Mar 11 |
| 2020 | Mar 17 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1946 | 199 |
| 1947 | 233 |
| 1948 | 172 |
| 1949 | 196 |
| 1950 | 241 |
| 1951 | 189 |
| 1952 | 212 |
| 1953 | 256 |
| 1954 | 176 |
| 1955 | 229 |
| 1956 | 225 |
| 1957 | 245 |
| 1958 | 245 |
| 1959 | 264 |
| 1960 | 229 |
| 1961 | 256 |
| 1962 | 268 |
| 1963 | 223 |
| 1964 | 190 |
| 1965 | 232 |
| 1966 | 227 |
| 1967 | 210 |
| 1968 | 163 |
| 1969 | 203 |
| 1970 | 193 |
| 1971 | 208 |
| 1972 | 177 |
| 1973 | 208 |
| 1974 | 251 |
| 1975 | 229 |
| 1976 | 199 |
| 1977 | 256 |
| 1978 | 241 |
| 1979 | 232 |
| 1980 | 222 |
| 1981 | 190 |
| 1982 | 215 |
| 1983 | 295 |
| 1984 | 239 |
| 1985 | 169 |
| 1986 | 212 |
| 1987 | 230 |
| 1988 | 223 |
| 1989 | 238 |
| 1990 | 236 |
| 1991 | 213 |
| 1992 | 249 |
| 1993 | 225 |
| 1994 | 221 |
| 1995 | 195 |
| 1996 | 215 |
| 1997 | 218 |
| 1998 | 252 |
| 2001 | 216 |
| 2002 | 175 |
| 2003 | 235 |
| 2005 | 249 |
| 2007 | 205 |
| 2008 | 171 |
| 2009 | 183 |
| 2010 | 188 |
| 2011 | 201 |
| 2012 | 215 |
| 2013 | 240 |
| 2014 | 261 |
| 2016 | 263 |
| 2017 | 247 |
| 2018 | 253 |
| 2019 | 231 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1945 | 13.7 °C |
| 1946 | 12.8 °C |
| 1947 | 13.2 °C |
| 1948 | 12.7 °C |
| 1949 | 12.2 °C |
| 1950 | 12.3 °C |
| 1951 | 12.8 °C |
| 1952 | 12.4 °C |
| 1953 | 13.1 °C |
| 1954 | 12.2 °C |
| 1955 | 11.4 °C |
| 1956 | 12.5 °C |
| 1957 | 13.2 °C |
| 1958 | 13.9 °C |
| 1959 | 13.2 °C |
| 1960 | 12.8 °C |
| 1961 | 14.1 °C |
| 1962 | 12.8 °C |
| 1963 | 13.1 °C |
| 1964 | 11.9 °C |
| 1965 | 12.6 °C |
| 1966 | 12.8 °C |
| 1967 | 13.9 °C |
| 1968 | 13.3 °C |
| 1969 | 13.5 °C |
| 1970 | 12.6 °C |
| 1971 | 12.3 °C |
| 1972 | 12.4 °C |
| 1973 | 12.7 °C |
| 1974 | 12.8 °C |
| 1975 | 12.1 °C |
| 1976 | 12.2 °C |
| 1977 | 12.4 °C |
| 1978 | 13.3 °C |
| 1979 | 13.3 °C |
| 1980 | 12.8 °C |
| 1981 | 13.2 °C |
| 1982 | 12.9 °C |
| 1983 | 13.7 °C |
| 1984 | 13.1 °C |
| 1985 | 13.1 °C |
| 1986 | 13.2 °C |
| 1987 | 13.7 °C |
| 1988 | 13.3 °C |
| 1989 | 13.8 °C |
| 1990 | 14.4 °C |
| 1991 | 13.7 °C |
| 1992 | 14.8 °C |
| 1993 | 14.6 °C |
| 1994 | 13.9 °C |
| 1995 | 13.3 °C |
| 1996 | 12.7 °C |
| 1997 | 13.5 °C |
| 1998 | 13.0 °C |
| 2002 | 12.2 °C |
| 2003 | 12.9 °C |
| 2005 | 14.7 °C |
| 2007 | 12.7 °C |
| 2008 | 12.0 °C |
| 2009 | 12.8 °C |
| 2010 | 12.6 °C |
| 2011 | 12.0 °C |
| 2012 | 12.0 °C |
| 2013 | 13.1 °C |
| 2014 | 14.8 °C |
| 2015 | 14.6 °C |
| 2016 | 14.5 °C |
| 2017 | 14.4 °C |
| 2018 | 14.8 °C |
| 2019 | 15.2 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1946, Oak Harbor's last spring frost has come about 1 day earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 1 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Whidbey Island Nas (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.