Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Planting calendar for Halifax
Worked out from 30 years of daily minimum temperatures for this location — not from a zone map, and not from the nearest big city. Move the dial to change how much frost risk you are willing to carry, and every date on the page re-times itself.
Last spring frost
23 April
Frost has finished by this date in 1 year in 2.
First autumn frost
13 November
Bring tender crops in before this date.
Frost-free season
204 days
Long season
The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.
Sow this week in Halifax
Windows that are open today, 4 August. The ones marked in amber are closing within a fortnight.
Opening soon
Sow this week in Halifax
Windows that are open today, 4 August. The ones marked in amber are closing within a fortnight.
Opening soon
Sow this week in Halifax
Windows that are open today, 4 August. The ones marked in amber are closing within a fortnight.
Opening soon
The growing year in Halifax
307 crops, timed to the dates above
Each bar is a window, not a deadline. Tap or hover a bar for its dates, or follow a crop name for the full timing and a harvest estimate. The blue wash is the measured weekly chance of frost across the whole record. There is also a printable one-page version of this calendar for the shed wall.
The climate behind these dates
Mean monthly temperature across the record. Months shown in blue average at least one air frost.
Questions about frost in Halifax
When is the last frost in Halifax?
The median last spring frost in Halifax falls on 23 April. In one year in ten frost continues as late as 1 May, so if you cannot protect tender plants, 1 May is the safer date to work to.
When is the first frost in Halifax?
The median first autumn frost in Halifax falls on 13 November, though in one year in ten it arrives by 5 November. Tender crops should be harvested before that earlier date.
How long is the growing season in Halifax?
About 204 frost-free days on a median year - long by world standards. Taking the cautious view at both ends, plan for roughly 188 dependable days.
What hardiness zone is Halifax in?
Halifax sits in USDA-equivalent zone 7a, based on a mean annual extreme minimum of -15.1°C (4.9°F). Perennials rated to this zone or lower should survive an average winter here.
Can I trust these dates exactly?
They are statistics, not forecasts. They describe what happened across 30 years of records at this location and say nothing about this particular spring. Frost is also intensely local: a low-lying or exposed garden can run a week behind the figures on this page.