When to plant in Ocean Shores, WA
Planting dates worked out from Ocean Shores's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 1
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 4
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 11
1 year in 10 by Oct 27
Frost-free days
216
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Hoquiam Bowerman Ap · 17.1 km away · station 5 m, town 7 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 31 – Feb 7 | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | Apr 16 |
| Peas | — | Feb 21 – Mar 21 | Apr 17 |
| Bush beans | — | May 3 – May 24 | Jun 22 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 20 – May 1 | May 19 |
| Beet | — | Mar 20 – May 1 | May 9 |
| Potato | — | Mar 20 – Apr 10 | May 29 |
| Kale | Jan 24 – Feb 7 | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | Apr 19 |
| Broccoli | Jan 24 – Feb 7 | Mar 7 – Mar 28 | May 6 |
| 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) | — | Mar 7 – Mar 28 | Jun 5 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 16 – Nov 13 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 21 – Mar 21 | Mar 31 |
| Basil | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | May 16 – May 30 | Jul 12 |
Ocean Shores'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 |
|---|---|
| 1954 | May 1 |
| 1955 | Apr 25 |
| 1956 | Apr 17 |
| 1957 | Apr 8 |
| 1958 | Apr 9 |
| 1959 | Mar 22 |
| 1960 | Apr 22 |
| 1961 | Apr 20 |
| 1962 | Mar 28 |
| 1963 | Apr 2 |
| 1964 | Apr 28 |
| 1965 | May 6 |
| 1966 | Mar 22 |
| 1967 | Mar 13 |
| 1968 | Apr 21 |
| 1969 | Mar 13 |
| 1970 | Apr 14 |
| 1971 | Apr 12 |
| 1972 | Apr 22 |
| 1973 | Mar 28 |
| 1974 | Mar 8 |
| 1975 | Apr 21 |
| 1976 | Apr 2 |
| 1977 | Mar 30 |
| 1978 | Mar 1 |
| 1979 | Mar 1 |
| 1980 | Mar 30 |
| 1981 | Apr 13 |
| 1982 | Apr 19 |
| 1983 | Apr 13 |
| 1984 | Mar 3 |
| 1985 | Apr 28 |
| 1986 | Feb 21 |
| 1988 | Mar 15 |
| 1989 | Mar 4 |
| 1990 | Mar 26 |
| 1991 | Apr 11 |
| 1992 | Feb 19 |
| 1993 | Apr 4 |
| 1994 | Mar 23 |
| 1995 | Mar 7 |
| 1996 | May 9 |
| 1997 | Apr 5 |
| 1998 | Mar 29 |
| 1999 | Apr 6 |
| 2000 | Apr 24 |
| 2001 | Apr 14 |
| 2002 | May 7 |
| 2003 | Apr 4 |
| 2004 | Apr 1 |
| 2005 | Mar 14 |
| 2006 | Mar 19 |
| 2007 | Apr 3 |
| 2008 | Apr 3 |
| 2009 | Apr 14 |
| 2010 | May 5 |
| 2011 | Apr 20 |
| 2012 | Apr 7 |
| 2013 | May 1 |
| 2014 | Mar 22 |
| 2015 | Mar 4 |
| 2016 | Mar 17 |
| 2017 | Mar 19 |
| 2018 | Mar 25 |
| 2019 | Apr 28 |
| 2020 | Apr 13 |
| 2021 | Apr 11 |
| 2022 | Mar 10 |
| 2023 | Apr 3 |
| 2024 | Apr 17 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1954 | 174 |
| 1955 | 199 |
| 1956 | 193 |
| 1957 | 207 |
| 1958 | 219 |
| 1959 | 227 |
| 1960 | 217 |
| 1961 | 194 |
| 1962 | 214 |
| 1963 | 231 |
| 1964 | 180 |
| 1965 | 217 |
| 1966 | 230 |
| 1967 | 252 |
| 1968 | 228 |
| 1969 | 260 |
| 1970 | 194 |
| 1971 | 197 |
| 1972 | 157 |
| 1973 | 217 |
| 1974 | 288 |
| 1975 | 220 |
| 1976 | 237 |
| 1977 | 221 |
| 1978 | 252 |
| 1979 | 283 |
| 1980 | 250 |
| 1981 | 227 |
| 1982 | 203 |
| 1983 | 229 |
| 1984 | 267 |
| 1985 | 195 |
| 1986 | 287 |
| 1988 | 255 |
| 1989 | 281 |
| 1990 | 236 |
| 1991 | 201 |
| 1992 | 276 |
| 1993 | 223 |
| 1994 | 224 |
| 1995 | 237 |
| 1996 | 163 |
| 1998 | 249 |
| 1999 | 264 |
| 2000 | 200 |
| 2001 | 216 |
| 2002 | 175 |
| 2003 | 209 |
| 2004 | 216 |
| 2005 | 245 |
| 2006 | 224 |
| 2007 | 230 |
| 2008 | 189 |
| 2009 | 213 |
| 2010 | 199 |
| 2011 | 194 |
| 2012 | 216 |
| 2013 | 180 |
| 2014 | 236 |
| 2015 | 263 |
| 2016 | 263 |
| 2017 | 231 |
| 2018 | 255 |
| 2019 | 182 |
| 2020 | 194 |
| 2021 | 237 |
| 2022 | 243 |
| 2023 | 206 |
| 2024 | 211 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1954 | 12.7 °C |
| 1955 | 11.7 °C |
| 1956 | 13.5 °C |
| 1957 | 14.2 °C |
| 1958 | 14.8 °C |
| 1959 | 13.4 °C |
| 1960 | 13.3 °C |
| 1961 | 13.8 °C |
| 1962 | 13.0 °C |
| 1963 | 14.0 °C |
| 1964 | 13.3 °C |
| 1965 | 13.3 °C |
| 1966 | 13.8 °C |
| 1967 | 14.3 °C |
| 1968 | 13.3 °C |
| 1969 | 13.4 °C |
| 1970 | 13.5 °C |
| 1971 | 11.6 °C |
| 1972 | 12.9 °C |
| 1973 | 13.4 °C |
| 1974 | 14.1 °C |
| 1975 | 12.9 °C |
| 1976 | 13.1 °C |
| 1977 | 13.0 °C |
| 1978 | 14.0 °C |
| 1979 | 14.4 °C |
| 1980 | 13.2 °C |
| 1981 | 13.6 °C |
| 1982 | 13.2 °C |
| 1983 | 14.0 °C |
| 1984 | 13.2 °C |
| 1985 | 13.6 °C |
| 1986 | 13.2 °C |
| 1988 | 13.5 °C |
| 1989 | 14.1 °C |
| 1990 | 14.3 °C |
| 1991 | 13.5 °C |
| 1992 | 14.5 °C |
| 1993 | 14.3 °C |
| 1994 | 14.3 °C |
| 1995 | 14.4 °C |
| 1996 | 13.7 °C |
| 1997 | 15.1 °C |
| 1998 | 13.9 °C |
| 1999 | 12.9 °C |
| 2000 | 13.8 °C |
| 2001 | 12.6 °C |
| 2002 | 12.9 °C |
| 2003 | 13.6 °C |
| 2004 | 14.3 °C |
| 2005 | 13.8 °C |
| 2006 | 14.1 °C |
| 2007 | 14.6 °C |
| 2008 | 12.8 °C |
| 2009 | 13.5 °C |
| 2010 | 12.7 °C |
| 2011 | 12.9 °C |
| 2012 | 13.3 °C |
| 2013 | 14.0 °C |
| 2014 | 14.6 °C |
| 2015 | 14.6 °C |
| 2016 | 14.5 °C |
| 2017 | 14.1 °C |
| 2018 | 14.5 °C |
| 2019 | 14.6 °C |
| 2020 | 14.3 °C |
| 2021 | 14.3 °C |
| 2022 | 14.6 °C |
| 2023 | 14.8 °C |
| 2024 | 13.8 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1954, Ocean Shores'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 Hoquiam Bowerman Ap (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.