Frost Report

All states Washington

Frost dates for Pe Ell, 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 27

typical year

Safe to plant

May 18

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

October 22

typical year

Growing season

178 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 30 – Apr 13 –
Spinach – Mar 16 – Apr 6 Aug 27 – Sep 10
Lettuce – Mar 30 – Apr 20 Aug 27 – Sep 10
Radishes – Mar 30 – May 11 Sep 10 – 24
Onions – Mar 30 – Apr 13 –
Potatoes – Apr 6 – 20 –
Carrots – Apr 6 – 27 Jul 30 – Aug 13
Beets – Mar 30 – Apr 13 Aug 13 – 27
Kale Feb 16 – Mar 2 Mar 30 – Apr 13 Aug 13 – 27
Broccoli Feb 16 – Mar 2 Apr 13 – 27 Aug 13 – 27
Cabbage Feb 2 – 16 Mar 30 – Apr 13 Aug 13 – 27
Garlic – – Sep 10 – Oct 1
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Mar 23 – Apr 6 May 18 – Jun 1 –
Peppers Mar 16 – 30 May 25 – Jun 8 –
Cucumbers – May 18 – Jun 8 –
Zucchini – May 18 – Jun 15 –
Pumpkins – May 18 – Jun 8 –
Green beans – May 18 – Aug 13 –
Sweet corn – May 18 – Jun 15 –
Basil Apr 13 – 27 May 25 – Jun 1 –

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 18April 27April 2
Fall frost before October 3October 22November 11

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 March 25 (April 20 in a late year), and the first one in fall around November 12.

Towns that use these dates

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

Pe Ell

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station GRAYS RVR HATCHERY, WA US (USC00453333), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 4 zip codes, all within 15 miles:

98572, 98621, 98643, 98647

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