When to plant in Sumner, WA
Planting dates worked out from Sumner's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Mar 29
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 9
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 18
1 year in 10 by Oct 30
Frost-free days
244
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Tacoma #1 · 13.9 km away · station 8 m, town 23 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 | Feb 27 – Mar 13 | Apr 24 – May 8 | Jun 18 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 13 – Feb 27 | Apr 24 – May 8 | Jun 23 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 5 – Jan 12 | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | Mar 21 |
| Peas | — | Jan 26 – Feb 23 | Mar 22 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 14 – May 5 | Jun 3 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 9 – Apr 20 | May 8 |
| Beet | — | Mar 9 – Apr 20 | Apr 28 |
| Potato | — | Mar 9 – Mar 30 | May 18 |
| Kale | Dec 29 – Jan 12 | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | Mar 24 |
| Broccoli | Dec 29 – Jan 12 | Feb 9 – Mar 2 | Apr 10 |
| Cucumber | Mar 27 – Apr 3 | Apr 24 – May 8 | Jun 13 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 27 – Apr 3 | Apr 24 – May 8 | Jun 8 |
| Winter squash | Mar 27 – Apr 3 | Apr 24 – May 8 | Jul 13 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 14 – May 5 | Jun 13 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Feb 9 – Mar 2 | May 10 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 19 – Nov 16 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Jan 26 – Feb 23 | Mar 5 |
| Basil | Mar 13 – Mar 27 | Apr 24 – May 8 | Jun 20 |
Sumner'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 |
|---|---|
| 1982 | Apr 20 |
| 1983 | Apr 14 |
| 1984 | Apr 26 |
| 1985 | Apr 21 |
| 1986 | Apr 30 |
| 1987 | Mar 29 |
| 1988 | Mar 28 |
| 1989 | Mar 20 |
| 1990 | Mar 13 |
| 1991 | Apr 11 |
| 1992 | Mar 28 |
| 1993 | Mar 16 |
| 1994 | Mar 23 |
| 1995 | Mar 26 |
| 1998 | Mar 29 |
| 1999 | Apr 8 |
| 2001 | Mar 4 |
| 2002 | Mar 8 |
| 2003 | Feb 26 |
| 2004 | Feb 10 |
| 2005 | Feb 24 |
| 2007 | Feb 5 |
| 2008 | Feb 17 |
| 2010 | Mar 9 |
| 2011 | Mar 5 |
| 2012 | Mar 19 |
| 2013 | Mar 24 |
| 2014 | Feb 9 |
| 2015 | Mar 4 |
| 2016 | Feb 24 |
| 2017 | Feb 25 |
| 2018 | Feb 23 |
| 2019 | Mar 11 |
| 2020 | Mar 17 |
| 2021 | Mar 16 |
| 2022 | Apr 14 |
| 2023 | Mar 27 |
| 2024 | Mar 7 |
| 2025 | Mar 13 |
| 2026 | Feb 25 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1982 | 180 |
| 1983 | 180 |
| 1984 | 175 |
| 1985 | 170 |
| 1986 | 193 |
| 1987 | 232 |
| 1988 | 230 |
| 1989 | 222 |
| 1990 | 249 |
| 1991 | 201 |
| 1992 | 226 |
| 1993 | 235 |
| 1994 | 224 |
| 1995 | 217 |
| 1999 | 239 |
| 2001 | 292 |
| 2002 | 236 |
| 2003 | 247 |
| 2004 | 282 |
| 2007 | 289 |
| 2008 | 299 |
| 2010 | 257 |
| 2012 | 235 |
| 2013 | 241 |
| 2014 | 276 |
| 2015 | 260 |
| 2016 | 285 |
| 2017 | 282 |
| 2018 | 258 |
| 2019 | 232 |
| 2020 | 235 |
| 2021 | 245 |
| 2022 | 208 |
| 2023 | 214 |
| 2024 | 268 |
| 2025 | 218 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1983 | 15.6 °C |
| 1984 | 15.3 °C |
| 1985 | 15.8 °C |
| 1986 | 15.8 °C |
| 1987 | 16.4 °C |
| 1988 | 15.5 °C |
| 1989 | 15.9 °C |
| 1990 | 16.3 °C |
| 1991 | 15.4 °C |
| 1992 | 16.6 °C |
| 1993 | 15.7 °C |
| 1994 | 16.2 °C |
| 1995 | 16.1 °C |
| 1999 | 15.0 °C |
| 2001 | 15.7 °C |
| 2002 | 16.0 °C |
| 2003 | 16.8 °C |
| 2004 | 17.9 °C |
| 2007 | 16.6 °C |
| 2008 | 15.7 °C |
| 2010 | 15.7 °C |
| 2011 | 15.1 °C |
| 2012 | 15.8 °C |
| 2013 | 16.8 °C |
| 2014 | 17.1 °C |
| 2015 | 17.3 °C |
| 2016 | 17.2 °C |
| 2017 | 16.8 °C |
| 2018 | 17.0 °C |
| 2019 | 17.0 °C |
| 2020 | 16.7 °C |
| 2021 | 17.1 °C |
| 2022 | 16.2 °C |
| 2023 | 16.8 °C |
| 2024 | 16.3 °C |
| 2025 | 17.1 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1982, Sumner's last spring frost has come about 9 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 13 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Tacoma #1 (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.