When to plant in Seattle, WA
Planting dates worked out from Seattle's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 12
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 16
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 14
1 year in 10 by Oct 30
Frost-free days
234
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Seattle Boeing Fld · 6.9 km away · station 8 m, town 56 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 3 – Mar 17 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 22 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 17 – Mar 3 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 27 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 12 – Jan 19 | Feb 16 – Mar 2 | Mar 28 |
| Peas | — | Feb 2 – Mar 2 | Mar 29 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 18 – May 9 | Jun 7 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 14 – Apr 25 | May 13 |
| Beet | — | Mar 14 – Apr 25 | May 3 |
| Potato | — | Mar 14 – Apr 4 | May 23 |
| Kale | Jan 5 – Jan 19 | Feb 16 – Mar 2 | Mar 31 |
| Broccoli | Jan 5 – Jan 19 | Feb 16 – Mar 9 | Apr 17 |
| Cucumber | Mar 31 – Apr 7 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 17 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 31 – Apr 7 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 12 |
| Winter squash | Mar 31 – Apr 7 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jul 17 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 18 – May 9 | Jun 17 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 16 – Mar 9 | May 17 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 18 – Nov 15 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 2 – Mar 2 | Mar 12 |
| Basil | Mar 17 – Mar 31 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 24 |
Seattle'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 |
|---|---|
| 1948 | Apr 4 |
| 1949 | Mar 31 |
| 1950 | Mar 29 |
| 1951 | Apr 21 |
| 1952 | Apr 8 |
| 1953 | Mar 14 |
| 1954 | May 1 |
| 1955 | Mar 20 |
| 1956 | Mar 16 |
| 1957 | Feb 22 |
| 1958 | Mar 16 |
| 1959 | Mar 20 |
| 1960 | Mar 4 |
| 1961 | Apr 20 |
| 1962 | Mar 28 |
| 1963 | Apr 2 |
| 1964 | Mar 24 |
| 1965 | Mar 24 |
| 1999 | May 17 |
| 2000 | Mar 20 |
| 2001 | Apr 29 |
| 2002 | Mar 22 |
| 2003 | Feb 26 |
| 2004 | Mar 2 |
| 2005 | Feb 24 |
| 2006 | Mar 19 |
| 2007 | Mar 21 |
| 2008 | Apr 3 |
| 2009 | Apr 4 |
| 2010 | Mar 9 |
| 2011 | Mar 4 |
| 2012 | Mar 23 |
| 2013 | Mar 9 |
| 2014 | Feb 8 |
| 2015 | Mar 4 |
| 2016 | Jan 15 |
| 2017 | Mar 19 |
| 2018 | Mar 15 |
| 2019 | Mar 11 |
| 2020 | Apr 13 |
| 2021 | Apr 11 |
| 2022 | Mar 10 |
| 2023 | Mar 27 |
| 2024 | Mar 8 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1948 | 205 |
| 1949 | 201 |
| 1950 | 224 |
| 1951 | 193 |
| 1952 | 207 |
| 1953 | 233 |
| 1954 | 214 |
| 1955 | 235 |
| 1956 | 246 |
| 1957 | 254 |
| 1958 | 243 |
| 1959 | 229 |
| 1960 | 238 |
| 1961 | 198 |
| 1962 | 258 |
| 1963 | 231 |
| 1964 | 248 |
| 1999 | 199 |
| 2000 | 234 |
| 2001 | 225 |
| 2002 | 221 |
| 2003 | 246 |
| 2004 | 262 |
| 2005 | 263 |
| 2006 | 224 |
| 2007 | 225 |
| 2008 | 233 |
| 2009 | 223 |
| 2010 | 257 |
| 2011 | 242 |
| 2012 | 230 |
| 2013 | 256 |
| 2014 | 276 |
| 2015 | 266 |
| 2017 | 262 |
| 2018 | 238 |
| 2019 | 232 |
| 2020 | 208 |
| 2021 | 219 |
| 2022 | 243 |
| 2023 | 213 |
| 2024 | 267 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1948 | 14.9 °C |
| 1949 | 15.7 °C |
| 1950 | 15.3 °C |
| 1951 | 15.9 °C |
| 1952 | 15.4 °C |
| 1953 | 15.3 °C |
| 1954 | 14.4 °C |
| 1955 | 14.0 °C |
| 1956 | 15.6 °C |
| 1957 | 16.2 °C |
| 1958 | 17.5 °C |
| 1959 | 15.5 °C |
| 1960 | 15.9 °C |
| 1961 | 16.5 °C |
| 1962 | 15.6 °C |
| 1963 | 16.0 °C |
| 1964 | 15.1 °C |
| 1965 | 16.2 °C |
| 1999 | 15.0 °C |
| 2000 | 15.8 °C |
| 2001 | 15.3 °C |
| 2002 | 15.9 °C |
| 2003 | 16.8 °C |
| 2004 | 16.9 °C |
| 2005 | 16.2 °C |
| 2006 | 16.3 °C |
| 2007 | 15.8 °C |
| 2008 | 15.1 °C |
| 2009 | 16.6 °C |
| 2010 | 15.7 °C |
| 2011 | 15.1 °C |
| 2012 | 15.6 °C |
| 2013 | 17.5 °C |
| 2014 | 18.2 °C |
| 2015 | 18.5 °C |
| 2016 | 17.3 °C |
| 2017 | 17.0 °C |
| 2018 | 17.2 °C |
| 2019 | 17.3 °C |
| 2020 | 17.0 °C |
| 2021 | 16.9 °C |
| 2022 | 16.2 °C |
| 2023 | 16.7 °C |
| 2024 | 17.0 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1948, Seattle's last spring frost has come about 2 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 2 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Seattle Boeing Fld (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.