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USDA Hardiness Zone 8a

Frost Dates for 98591 — Toledo, Washington

Averages from Toledo Faa Ap, Wa US, the nearest reporting station, 3.5 miles away.

Plant tender crops after April 5, and expect the first autumn freeze around October 25. That leaves about 196 frost-free days.

Last spring frost
April 5

50% probability

First fall frost
October 25

50% probability

Growing season
196 days

frost-free

Hardiness zone
8a

10 to 15°F annual low

Planting calendar for 98591

What to do and when, based on the frost normals for Toledo, Washington
WhenWhat to do
January 25 – February 8

Start peppers and aubergines indoors

They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out.

February 8 – February 22

Start tomatoes indoors

Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early.

March 8 – March 22

Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors

These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil.

April 5 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 5 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in Toledo, Washington are past their last freeze. Harvest before October 25, which leaves roughly 196 frost-free days.

ZIP 98591 sits in USDA hardiness zone 8a, meaning the average coldest night of the year falls between 10 to 15°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.

Other zone 8a ZIP codes in Washington