USDA Hardiness Zone 8b
Frost Dates for 98051 — Ravensdale, Washington
Averages from Landsburg, Wa US, the nearest reporting station, 3.7 miles away.
Plant tender crops after April 20, and expect the first autumn freeze around October 25. That leaves about 187 frost-free days.
- Last spring frost
- April 20
- First fall frost
- October 25
- Growing season
- 187 days
- Hardiness zone
- 8b
50% probability
50% probability
frost-free
15 to 20°F annual low
Planting calendar for 98051
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 9 – February 23 | Start peppers and aubergines indoors They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 23 – March 9 | Start tomatoes indoors Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 23 – April 6 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 20 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbers The average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 2 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicas They need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 11 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover them A first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 25 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbs Garlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
What these dates mean
Wait until after April 20 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in Ravensdale, Washington are past their last freeze. Harvest before October 25, which leaves roughly 187 frost-free days.
ZIP 98051 sits in USDA hardiness zone 8b, meaning the average coldest night of the year falls between 15 to 20°F. Zone decides what survives the winter; frost dates decide when to plant each spring. They are different questions, and a plant can pass one and fail the other.
These are thirty-year NOAA averages for 1991–2020, not a forecast. Any individual year can frost two to three weeks either side of these dates, so check the actual forecast before planting out.