When to plant in Olympia, WA
Planting dates worked out from Olympia's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 16
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 3
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 13
1 year in 10 by Sep 28
Frost-free days
159
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Olympia Ap · 7.9 km away · station 61 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) | Mar 1 – Mar 8 | Apr 5 – Apr 19 | May 15 |
| Peas | — | Mar 22 – Apr 19 | May 16 |
| Bush beans | — | May 9 – May 30 | Jun 28 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 12 – May 24 | Jun 11 |
| Beet | — | Apr 5 – May 17 | May 25 |
| Potato | — | Apr 12 – May 3 | Jun 21 |
| Kale | Feb 22 – Mar 8 | Apr 5 – Apr 19 | May 18 |
| Broccoli | Feb 22 – Mar 8 | Apr 5 – Apr 26 | Jun 4 |
| 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 9 – May 30 | Jul 8 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 5 – Apr 26 | Jul 4 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 29 – Oct 27 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 22 – Apr 19 | Apr 29 |
| Basil | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | May 16 – May 30 | Jul 12 |
Olympia'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 |
|---|---|
| 1942 | May 11 |
| 1943 | Apr 26 |
| 1944 | May 10 |
| 1945 | Apr 28 |
| 1946 | May 1 |
| 1947 | May 10 |
| 1948 | May 2 |
| 1949 | May 5 |
| 1950 | May 23 |
| 1951 | May 1 |
| 1952 | May 5 |
| 1953 | May 31 |
| 1954 | May 6 |
| 1955 | May 6 |
| 1956 | Apr 30 |
| 1957 | Apr 20 |
| 1958 | May 13 |
| 1959 | May 6 |
| 1960 | May 22 |
| 1961 | May 11 |
| 1962 | May 19 |
| 1963 | May 13 |
| 1964 | May 26 |
| 1965 | May 8 |
| 1966 | Jun 1 |
| 1967 | May 25 |
| 1968 | May 7 |
| 1969 | May 15 |
| 1970 | May 18 |
| 1971 | Apr 24 |
| 1972 | May 25 |
| 1973 | May 26 |
| 1974 | Apr 14 |
| 1975 | May 25 |
| 1976 | Jun 13 |
| 1977 | May 12 |
| 1978 | May 7 |
| 1979 | Apr 10 |
| 1980 | May 7 |
| 1981 | May 8 |
| 1982 | May 5 |
| 1983 | Apr 25 |
| 1984 | Apr 26 |
| 1985 | May 12 |
| 1986 | Apr 30 |
| 1987 | Apr 25 |
| 1988 | Apr 26 |
| 1989 | Apr 24 |
| 1990 | May 8 |
| 1991 | Apr 16 |
| 1992 | May 12 |
| 1993 | Apr 19 |
| 1994 | May 3 |
| 1995 | May 12 |
| 1996 | May 9 |
| 1997 | May 2 |
| 1998 | Apr 26 |
| 1999 | May 10 |
| 2000 | May 7 |
| 2001 | May 6 |
| 2002 | May 16 |
| 2003 | May 18 |
| 2004 | Apr 29 |
| 2005 | Apr 19 |
| 2006 | May 9 |
| 2007 | May 10 |
| 2008 | May 12 |
| 2009 | Apr 24 |
| 2010 | May 9 |
| 2011 | May 17 |
| 2012 | May 19 |
| 2013 | May 1 |
| 2014 | Apr 14 |
| 2015 | Apr 26 |
| 2016 | Apr 26 |
| 2017 | Apr 29 |
| 2018 | Apr 23 |
| 2019 | Apr 30 |
| 2020 | May 1 |
| 2021 | Apr 15 |
| 2022 | May 11 |
| 2023 | Apr 20 |
| 2024 | May 8 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1942 | 129 |
| 1943 | 174 |
| 1944 | 175 |
| 1945 | 171 |
| 1946 | 162 |
| 1947 | 130 |
| 1948 | 145 |
| 1949 | 129 |
| 1950 | 128 |
| 1951 | 177 |
| 1952 | 161 |
| 1953 | 142 |
| 1954 | 146 |
| 1955 | 137 |
| 1956 | 179 |
| 1957 | 166 |
| 1958 | 162 |
| 1959 | 175 |
| 1960 | 139 |
| 1961 | 133 |
| 1962 | 171 |
| 1963 | 157 |
| 1964 | 144 |
| 1965 | 131 |
| 1966 | 129 |
| 1967 | 160 |
| 1968 | 153 |
| 1969 | 122 |
| 1970 | 117 |
| 1971 | 149 |
| 1972 | 122 |
| 1973 | 97 |
| 1974 | 174 |
| 1975 | 149 |
| 1976 | 121 |
| 1977 | 143 |
| 1978 | 166 |
| 1979 | 201 |
| 1980 | 163 |
| 1981 | 156 |
| 1982 | 152 |
| 1983 | 146 |
| 1984 | 150 |
| 1985 | 139 |
| 1986 | 163 |
| 1987 | 167 |
| 1988 | 183 |
| 1989 | 147 |
| 1990 | 151 |
| 1991 | 183 |
| 1992 | 145 |
| 1993 | 154 |
| 1994 | 152 |
| 1995 | 158 |
| 1996 | 159 |
| 1997 | 169 |
| 1998 | 175 |
| 1999 | 140 |
| 2000 | 138 |
| 2001 | 151 |
| 2002 | 137 |
| 2003 | 165 |
| 2004 | 180 |
| 2005 | 157 |
| 2006 | 153 |
| 2007 | 167 |
| 2008 | 151 |
| 2009 | 163 |
| 2010 | 159 |
| 2011 | 160 |
| 2012 | 136 |
| 2013 | 179 |
| 2014 | 209 |
| 2015 | 197 |
| 2016 | 167 |
| 2017 | 157 |
| 2018 | 162 |
| 2019 | 152 |
| 2020 | 173 |
| 2021 | 178 |
| 2022 | 164 |
| 2023 | 188 |
| 2024 | 167 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1942 | 14.9 °C |
| 1943 | 14.5 °C |
| 1944 | 14.7 °C |
| 1945 | 14.2 °C |
| 1946 | 14.3 °C |
| 1947 | 14.6 °C |
| 1948 | 13.5 °C |
| 1949 | 14.3 °C |
| 1950 | 13.9 °C |
| 1951 | 14.5 °C |
| 1952 | 14.1 °C |
| 1953 | 13.6 °C |
| 1954 | 12.8 °C |
| 1955 | 12.7 °C |
| 1956 | 14.5 °C |
| 1957 | 15.0 °C |
| 1958 | 16.1 °C |
| 1959 | 13.9 °C |
| 1960 | 13.9 °C |
| 1961 | 14.3 °C |
| 1962 | 13.6 °C |
| 1963 | 14.1 °C |
| 1964 | 12.6 °C |
| 1965 | 14.2 °C |
| 1966 | 13.7 °C |
| 1967 | 15.2 °C |
| 1968 | 14.0 °C |
| 1969 | 14.6 °C |
| 1970 | 13.6 °C |
| 1971 | 13.6 °C |
| 1972 | 13.6 °C |
| 1973 | 13.7 °C |
| 1974 | 14.5 °C |
| 1975 | 13.4 °C |
| 1976 | 13.1 °C |
| 1977 | 13.9 °C |
| 1978 | 14.6 °C |
| 1979 | 14.7 °C |
| 1980 | 14.0 °C |
| 1981 | 14.7 °C |
| 1982 | 14.6 °C |
| 1983 | 14.3 °C |
| 1984 | 13.8 °C |
| 1985 | 14.7 °C |
| 1986 | 14.2 °C |
| 1987 | 14.8 °C |
| 1988 | 13.7 °C |
| 1989 | 14.4 °C |
| 1990 | 14.9 °C |
| 1991 | 14.0 °C |
| 1992 | 15.4 °C |
| 1993 | 14.8 °C |
| 1994 | 15.5 °C |
| 1995 | 15.2 °C |
| 1996 | 14.0 °C |
| 1997 | 15.0 °C |
| 1998 | 14.8 °C |
| 1999 | 13.3 °C |
| 2000 | 14.1 °C |
| 2001 | 13.3 °C |
| 2002 | 13.8 °C |
| 2003 | 14.6 °C |
| 2004 | 15.1 °C |
| 2005 | 14.6 °C |
| 2006 | 14.8 °C |
| 2007 | 14.2 °C |
| 2008 | 13.8 °C |
| 2009 | 14.8 °C |
| 2010 | 13.8 °C |
| 2011 | 13.4 °C |
| 2012 | 14.1 °C |
| 2013 | 15.2 °C |
| 2014 | 15.6 °C |
| 2015 | 15.8 °C |
| 2016 | 15.4 °C |
| 2017 | 15.3 °C |
| 2018 | 15.2 °C |
| 2019 | 15.2 °C |
| 2020 | 15.2 °C |
| 2021 | 15.4 °C |
| 2022 | 14.7 °C |
| 2023 | 15.3 °C |
| 2024 | 15.1 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1942, Olympia's last spring frost has come about 1 day earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 3 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Olympia Ap (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.