Frost Report

All states Washington

Frost dates for Airway Heights, WA

When the last spring frost and first fall frost usually come, and when to plant, from 30 years of NOAA weather records.

Last spring frost

April 26

typical year

Safe to plant

May 10

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

October 12

typical year

Growing season

168 days

frost-free, typical year

When to plant

Counted from this page's frost dates. Warm-season crops wait for the safe-to-plant date.

CropStart indoorsPlant outsideFall planting
Cool-season crops
Peas – Mar 29 – Apr 12 –
Spinach – Mar 15 – Apr 5 Aug 17 – 31
Lettuce – Mar 29 – Apr 19 Aug 17 – 31
Radishes – Mar 29 – May 10 Aug 31 – Sep 14
Onions – Mar 29 – Apr 12 –
Potatoes – Apr 5 – 19 –
Carrots – Apr 5 – 26 Jul 20 – Aug 3
Beets – Mar 29 – Apr 12 Aug 3 – 17
Kale Feb 15 – Mar 1 Mar 29 – Apr 12 Aug 3 – 17
Broccoli Feb 15 – Mar 1 Apr 12 – 26 Aug 3 – 17
Cabbage Feb 1 – 15 Mar 29 – Apr 12 Aug 3 – 17
Garlic – – Aug 31 – Sep 21
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Mar 15 – 29 May 10 – 24 –
Peppers Mar 8 – 22 May 17 – 31 –
Cucumbers – May 10 – 31 –
Zucchini – May 10 – Jun 7 –
Pumpkins – May 10 – 31 –
Green beans – May 10 – Aug 3 –
Sweet corn – May 10 – Jun 7 –
Basil Apr 5 – 19 May 17 – 24 –

Onions: from sets. Green beans: until 10 weeks before the first fall frost. Garlic: harvest next summer.

The year at a glance

Start indoors Plant outside Fall planting

The chance of frost, by date

1 year in 10Half of years9 years in 10
Spring frost after May 10April 26April 9
Fall frost before September 29October 12October 28

Frost here means 32°F or colder. Read across: in 1 year in 10, spring frost carries on past the first date, which is why that date is the safe-to-plant date.

Hard freeze (28°F)

A hard freeze kills most garden plants, even hardy ones. The last one in spring usually comes around April 6 (April 28 in a late year), and the first one in fall around October 23.

Towns that use these dates

This is the nearest NOAA station with frost records for 1 town.

Airway Heights

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station SPOKANE INTL AP, WA US (USW00024157), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 6 zip codes, all within 5 miles:

99001, 99014, 99020, 99201, 99204, 99224

Planting dates follow common university extension advice; your local extension service can fine-tune them for your soil and microclimate.