When is the last frost date?

18 years ago

I am in Seattle region.

Can anybody tell when is the last frost date here?

I am growing tomatoes from seeds.

Indoor seedlings are up and I am wondering what is the right time to transplant them outside.

Thanks,

-saly

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Comments (5)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
18 years ago
There is no definitive last frost date - it can vary from year to year and location to location. The average last frost date is generally considered to be around March 22-24 in this area but that only means there is a 50% chance we will not receive frost after that date.

There are other considerations for planting out tomatoes and other warm season or tender crops. These require warm soil conditions as well as rather balmy nighttime temperatures. It is typically recommended to not plant these out until soils reach 50F or more and night temperatures are consistently above 50F, typically mid to late May - Mother's Day is often used as a benchmark, but in some years, even that date is premature.
Embothrium
18 years ago
WSU used to say after June 1 for planting out tomatoes and other tender plants. Seems about right to me, as it is often not consistently summerlike until June (or later, thus jokes about rain on 4th of July). Nurseries are out of full selection by then, so you have to start your own ahead of time or buy early and shelter them until it warms up enough--being sure to watch that the nursery didn't chill them before you bought (look for yellowish bleached appearance to newest part of plant, in center of top).
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Folk wisdom says to plant tomatoes after mothers' days. I think the "official" frost-free date is 5/15. The inclement weather in the mountain west makes it impossible to tell. I live in Sugarhouse and my last frost is well before my mother's, whose house is below the mouth of Little Cottonwood. I usually plant frost-sensitive plants the first couple weeks of May and keep tarps and "walls of water" handy.
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I'm in Southern PA and I don't plant my tomatoes out until the first week in May. Our last frost is around this time, but with the soil being still so cool, the tomato plants will just sit there not growing until the soil warms up. Your frost date is probably earlier than ours, but I would still wait a couple of weeks. You could check with neighbors who garden or call your local Extension Office to get more info.
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First and last frost dates can be very localized; a few miles, or less, and many other factors can make a difference. We had a cold winter and a cool, late spring this year. That being said, April 15 is a pretty close date to work with. However air temperature isn't the only factor to consider. Soil temperature is important, too, for seed germination as well as root and plant growth. For warm-weather crops like tomatoes and peppers, might as well wait until the soil warms to at least 55-60 degrees F, since if the soil is too cool the plants will just sit and sulk until it warms up enough for them to get some root activity going. Somewhere I read that the old way of determining when the soil was warm enough for planting was for the farmer to drop his drawers and sit down. Probably not a good idea for most of us. Here is a link that might be useful: Interactive NJ Last Frost Date Map
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I'm not quite on the North Shore (Burlington) so you may have a slightly earlier date than me, but still I wait until at least the middle of may for anything tender--esp. annuals. I have lived my whole life in New England and Memorial Day has always been the quoted date. The only thing I find is that many nurseries push the season early--whether the weather calls for it or not and the pickings can be slim if you wait that long. Often I buy things a little early, but don't put them in the ground until late May. Besides if April is any indicator this year,(with a snow storm coming Thurdsay), the Memorial Day rule for wearing white and planting annuals may hold true! Carolyn
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bananajoe
18 years ago
Every area may be slightly different. Even on our island it varys greatly from one end to the other. I have had any frost in many weeks and I doubt that will get anymore until next Fall sometime. There are so many microclimates in the PNW they could never all be listed on a zone map. Topography plays a big roll in our climate. There are many cool valleys that will most definately still see some frost. Areas nearer to the ocean are probably safe. I still wouldn't be sticking my tomatoes or peppers out in the garden anytime soon. Cheers, Joe
heatherisnotaweed
18 years ago
What about tomatoes planted in wall'o'waters? Has anyone here tired that and how much earlier were you able to plant them out? I've been thinking of trying it this year.

Heather
marie_in_wa
18 years ago
Don't forget to harden off those plants before you put them out :)

Typically, you don't want to put them out until nighttime temps are consistantly in the 50s. However, that being said, last year I put mine out when nightime temps were in the upper 40s, and the servied just fine. They didn't start really growing until late july though.

I just hope that it warms up sooner and more this year!

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When is the last frost date?

Comments (5)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

Embothrium

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