Seattle frost dates and planting season

Name: Seattle
Address: Washington, United States

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

Seattle has a moderate growing season, with roughly 205 frost-free days between the typical frost dates. Typical last spring frost: around April 2 (half of years later). Typical first fall frost: around October 25. Plant cool-season crops after about March 23; wait until about May 25 for warm-season crops.

Frost-free days205Apr 2 – Oct 25

Frost-free season in Seattle. 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 temperature13 – 107 °F

Frost-free days205

Typical last spring frostApril 2

Typical first fall frostOctober 25

Days suitable for warm-season vegetables133 (May 25 – October 4)

Days suitable for cool-season vegetables238 (March 23 – November 15)

Calculated by Plan & Plant · Method · Data 2019–2026

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 47.60, -122.30, 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: March 23

Suitable window: March 23 – November 15

Cool-season crops prefer cooler weather.

See cool-season details

Warm-season vegetables

Earliest outdoor start: May 25

Suitable window: May 25 – October 4

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

Green = usually good weeks to grow; blue or gray = usually too cold for that crop type.

Starter plants for Seattle

Cool-season

Radish Sow: February 19 – November 4 Planting dates
Arugula Sow: February 19 – October 22 Planting dates
Spinach Sow: February 19 – October 15 Planting dates
Lettuce Sow: February 19 – October 10 Planting dates
Kale Sow: February 19 – April 15 Planting dates
Beet Sow: March 5 – July 27 Planting dates

Warm-season

Zucchini Sow: June 18 – July 14 Planting dates
Cucumber Sow: June 18 – July 9 Planting dates
Green bean Sow: June 8 – July 18 Planting dates
Tomato Transplant: May 23 – June 19 Start indoors, then transplant. Planting dates
Sweet corn Sow: April 26 – July 15 Planting dates

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

Mar 23 – Nov 15 (238 days)

Warm-season planting window

May 25 – Oct 4 (133 days)

Usually too cold

January 1 – March 22
November 16 – December 31

Weekly temperatures and planting windows

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

Possible min to max
Average min to max
Suitable
Tolerable
Too cold
Too hot

Selected week · tap a week or use the arrows

Week 13 · Mar 23 – Mar 29

Average 40 to 53 °F · Possible 31 to 68 °F

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: 28 °F to 81 °F, warm: 32 °F to 90 °F); crossing a limit makes it tolerable, and for warm crops any chance of frost makes it too cold.

Based on average frost dates.

Washington, United States · 47.60001, -122.3 · 2026

Coldest weekly possible temperature13 °F

Hottest weekly possible temperature107 °F

Last expected spring frostApril 2

First expected fall frostOctober 25

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