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Toronto frost dates and planting season

When to plant vegetables here. Cover calendars (fleece, cold frame, unheated greenhouse) are on each plant’s when-to-plant page.

Toronto has a moderate growing season, with roughly 174 frost-free days between the typical frost dates. Typical last spring frost: around May 9 (half of years later). Typical first fall frost: around October 31. Plant cool-season crops after about April 27; wait until about May 18 for warm-season crops.

Frost-free days174May 9 – Oct 31
Frost-free season in TorontoJANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC~May 9~Oct 31
Frost-free season in Toronto. Based on average frost dates. Adjust a week or two for your conditions.

Cover calendars (fleece, cold frame, unheated greenhouse) live on each crop’s when-to-plant page.

Weekly possible temperature−22 – 32 °C
Frost-free days174
Typical last spring frostMay 9
Typical first fall frostOctober 31
Days suitable for warm-season vegetables147 (May 18 – October 11)
Days suitable for cool-season vegetables203 (April 27 – November 15)

Frost and suitability dates are typical figures from climate statistics. Microclimates vary; they are not a guarantee.

Frost dates calculated by Plan & Plant from Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Local frost pockets, valleys and coastal sites can differ by 1–3 weeks.

How we calculated this
  • Data: ERA5-Land via Open-Meteo, cell 43.70, -79.40, years 2019–2026 (not a 30-year climate normal yet).
  • Typical and safer dates: Typical last frost is the date after which half of winters in this sample had no more frost; safer is later in the sample so fewer winters still frosted.
  • Confidence: Provisional — short or thin sample for this place.
  • Full methodology (algorithm 2026-10-season-6).

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What to plant when

Cool-season vegetables

Earliest outdoor start: April 27

Suitable window: April 27 – November 15

Cool-season crops prefer cooler weather.

See cool-season details

Warm-season vegetables

Earliest outdoor start: May 18

Suitable window: May 18 – October 11

Warm-season crops need mild or warm weather and cannot take frost.

Frost kills these crops, and cold snaps set them back.

See warm-season details

Cool-season and warm-season weeksJANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDECCoolWarm
Green = usually good weeks to grow; blue or gray = usually too cold for that crop type.

Starter plants for Toronto

Cool-season

Warm-season

How these dates are judged

Last frost
The typical last spring date when frost is still expected.
First frost
The typical first fall date when frost returns.
Frost-free days
The approximate days between those two dates.
Cool-season vegetables
Crops that prefer cooler weather, such as lettuce, kale, peas, and radish.
Warm-season vegetables
Crops that need warm weather and cannot take frost, such as tomato, pepper, squash, and beans.

Cool-season planting window

Apr 27 – Nov 15 (203 days)

Warm-season planting window

May 18 – Oct 11 (147 days)

Usually too cold

  • January 1 – April 26
  • November 16 – December 31

Weekly temperatures and planting windows

Temperatures across the year for Toronto, with cool- and warm-season weeks and frost dates.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec−30 °C−22 °F−20 °C−4 °F−10 °C14 °F0 °C32 °F10 °C50 °F20 °C68 °F30 °C86 °FWarm range 10–32 °CWarm range 50–90 °FCool range 4–27 °CCool range 39–81 °FWindowCool seasonApr 27 – Nov 15Warm seasonMay 18 – Oct 11Last frost ~May 9First frost ~Oct 31
  • Possible min to max
  • Average min to max
  • Suitable
  • Tolerable
  • Too cold
  • Too hot

Selected week · tap a week or use the arrows

Week 18 · Apr 27 – May 3

Average 6 to 12 °C · Possible −0 to 23 °C

Cool season: suitable

Warm season: too cold

A week is suitable for a crop type when its average low and high sit inside that type's range and its possible readings stay within the frost and heat limits (cool: −2 °C to 27 °C, warm: 0 °C to 32 °C); crossing a limit makes it tolerable, and for warm crops any chance of frost makes it too cold.

Based on average frost dates.

Ontario, Canada · 43.7, -79.4 · 2026

Coldest weekly possible temperature−22 °C
Hottest weekly possible temperature32 °C
Last expected spring frostMay 9
First expected fall frostOctober 31
Show all 53 weeks

All plants for Toronto

Sow outdoors (15)

Start indoors, then transplant (4)

Local dates coming soon (12)

Weather for Toronto is available; local planting calendars for these crops are not calculated yet.

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