Practical planning tools for short growing seasons.

Burnaby, British Columbia Garden Guide: Planting Dates, Frost Dates and Growing Season

In Burnaby, gardeners usually see the last spring frost around March 19 and the first fall frost around November 10, leaving about 236 frost-free days in a typical year. That gives gardeners more room for long-season crops, succession planting, and later sowings.

Growing Season Snapshot

Typical last spring frost March 19
Typical first fall frost November 10
Typical frost-free days 236
GDD left on May 15 (base 50) 1814

These season boundaries are climate normals, not a forecast. A 50% frost date means a 32°F frost arrives by that date in about half of years — and later in about half. Treat these dates as planning anchors, not guarantees.

Burnaby Planting Calendar

A practical guide to when planting usually works in Burnaby. These windows are based on climate normals (not a forecast) and line up with the 50% last spring frost and typical early-season heat.

Crop Planting Window Method Best Variety Local Fit
Cool-season / early window Cold-tolerant crops that usually handle cooler spring conditions better.
Peas February 19 – March 5 direct sow Little Marvel Excellent fit
Spinach February 19 – March 5 direct sow Space Excellent fit
Kale February 23 – March 15 direct sow / transplant Winterbor Excellent fit
Beets February 26 – March 12 direct sow Detroit Dark Red Excellent fit
Carrots February 26 – March 12 direct sow Bolero Excellent fit
Lettuce February 26 – March 12 direct sow / transplant Buttercrunch Excellent fit
Onions February 26 – March 12 sets / transplants Redwing Excellent fit
Strawberries February 26 – March 12 plant crowns / transplants Seascape Excellent fit
Swiss Chard February 27 – March 19 direct sow / transplant Bright Lights Excellent fit
Broccoli March 5 – March 19 transplant Packman Excellent fit
Cabbage March 5 – March 19 transplant Stonehead Excellent fit
Cauliflower March 5 – March 19 transplant Snow Crown Excellent fit
Potatoes March 5 – March 19 plant seed potatoes Kennebec Excellent fit
Main warm-season window Crops that usually do best once frost risk fades and the season starts opening up more fully.
Beans March 19 – April 2 direct sow Contender Excellent fit
Sweet Corn March 24 – April 3 direct sow Bodacious Strong fit
Basil March 28 – April 7 direct sow / transplant Thai Basil Excellent fit
Cucumbers March 28 – April 7 direct sow / transplant Marketmore 76 Excellent fit
Zucchini March 28 – April 7 direct sow / transplant Black Beauty Excellent fit
Melons March 28 – April 7 direct sow / transplant Hale's Best Strong fit
Pumpkin March 28 – April 7 direct sow / transplant Baby Bear Strong fit
Tomatoes March 28 – April 7 transplant Early Girl Strong fit
Watermelons March 28 – April 7 direct sow / transplant Golden Midget Strong fit
Winter Squash March 28 – April 7 direct sow / transplant Honeyboat Strong fit
Peppers April 4 – April 14 transplant Gypsy Strong fit

How to use this: aim for the earlier part of each window for the most reliable results. Later planting can still work, but it usually depends more on variety maturity, warmer microclimates, and simple protection like row cover or low tunnels.

Common Timing Mistakes

These patterns show up again and again in Burnaby — especially in typical years.

  • Planting everything at once instead of staggering crops across the season.
  • Relying on calendar dates instead of crop maturity and typical frost timing.

Missed Your Planting Window? What Can You Still Grow?

This table shows what can still mature from several later-season planting dates in Burnaby. It compares the growing degree days still typically available after each checkpoint with the heat each crop usually needs to finish, then applies a 15% safety margin to separate crops that usually still fit from ones that are more borderline.

Usually fits Borderline Too tight
Crop Heat Units May 15 Jun 1 Jul 1 Aug 1
Spinach 450 (base 40) ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
Lettuce 500 (base 40) ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
Strawberry 600 (base 40) ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
Pea 600 (base 40) ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
Beet 650 (base 40) ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
Basil 700 (base 50) ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
Kale 700 (base 40) ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
Zucchini 750 (base 50) ✅ ✅ ✅ ⚠️
Carrot 750 (base 40) ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
Swiss chard 750 (base 40) ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
Cucumber 800 (base 50) ✅ ✅ ✅ ⚠️
Broccoli 900 (base 40) ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
Bean 900 (base 50) ✅ ✅ ✅ ❌
Cabbage 1000 (base 40) ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
Cauliflower 1000 (base 40) ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
Sweet corn 1100 (base 50) ✅ ✅ ✅ ❌
Potato 1100 (base 45) ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
Melon 1200 (base 50) ✅ ✅ ⚠️ ❌
Tomato 1200 (base 50) ✅ ✅ ⚠️ ❌
Pepper 1300 (base 50) ✅ ✅ ⚠️ ❌
Onion 1300 (base 45) ✅ ✅ ✅ ⚠️
Winter squash 1300 (base 50) ✅ ✅ ⚠️ ❌
Pumpkin 1300 (base 50) ✅ ✅ ⚠️ ❌
Watermelon 1350 (base 50) ✅ ✅ ❌ ❌

Climate normals GDD planning

Compare your season’s typical heat accumulation against crop requirements before first fall frost.

Heat matters more than calendar days Use this when crop maturity depends on warmth, not just frost-free days. Especially useful for warm-season crops and short-season locations.
Best for borderline crops Especially useful for warm-season crops and short-season locations.

Check Crop Maturity and Timing in Burnaby

Enter a ZIP / Postal Code in Burnaby and your planting date to see whether different crops can typically mature before first fall frost.

Select one or more crops.

Results

How the Growing Season Works in Burnaby

Burnaby usually has a relatively forgiving season, but results still depend on how quickly gardens warm in spring and how well crop choices match local conditions.

  • Stagger planting dates: spreading sowings and transplanting windows often works better than planting everything at once.
  • Fall planting is more realistic: many areas still have enough runway for a meaningful second round of faster crops.
  • Summer management becomes the limiter: water, fertility, and pest pressure often matter more than season length alone.

Late-summer note: there is often still meaningful heat left around early August, so second plantings of faster crops can still be worthwhile.

Remaining Season Heat in Burnaby (Base 50 GDD)

Growing Degree Days (Base 50°F) measure heat accumulation. “Remaining GDD” shows how much usable heat is typically still available from a given date onward in a normal season.

Planting date Base Typical GDD still available
May 15 50 1814
June 1 50 1669
July 1 50 1312
August 1 50 826

Use these values to judge whether a crop or variety still has enough heat left after planting. This is especially helpful for later sowings, shorter-maturity choices, and deciding whether a second round is realistic.

How Gardeners Adapt

Experienced gardeners in Burnaby usually adjust their timing and crop choices to match how the season actually behaves, not just the calendar.

  • Using row cover or low tunnels to smooth out temperature swings early and late in the season.
  • Succession planting fast crops to keep beds productive through summer.
  • Watching local conditions closely and adjusting timing year by year.

Burnaby Garden Planning Chart

A practical “typical year” for planning. Use it as a baseline, then adjust for microclimates and variety maturity.

Stage What it usually means
Early season Start cold-tolerant crops, prep beds, and pay more attention to soil warmth and night temperatures than to the calendar alone.
Main planting Around March 19, the main planting push usually begins as frost risk fades. Warm-season crops generally perform best when they get established promptly.
Peak growth This is when water, fertility, spacing, and pest pressure have the biggest effect on final yield.
Late-summer decisions There is often enough late-season heat left for a meaningful second round of quick crops.
Finish window Plan to have frost-sensitive crops mostly wrapped up by November 10. Cooling nights often slow crops before the first real frost arrives.

Typical season length: 236 frost-free days between the median spring and fall frost dates.

Crop Guides for Burnaby

Published crop-specific planting guides for Burnaby, ordered from best fit to highest risk.

Excellent fit

Basil

Basil is usually one of the easier crops to grow here.

When to Plant Basil in Burnaby

Beans

Burnaby usually gives beans enough season that maturity is rarely the hard part.

When to Plant Beans in Burnaby

Beets

Beets perform easily here in a typical year.

When to Plant Beets in Burnaby

Broccoli

This crop usually has enough season here that maturity is rarely the hard part.

When to Plant Broccoli in Burnaby

Cabbage

Very early to late varieties usually fit comfortably here.

When to Plant Cabbage in Burnaby

Carrots

Carrots are usually one of the easier crops to grow here.

When to Plant Carrots in Burnaby

Cauliflower

Burnaby usually gives cauliflower enough season that maturity is rarely the hard part.

When to Plant Cauliflower in Burnaby

Cucumbers

Cucumbers perform easily here in a typical year.

When to Plant Cucumbers in Burnaby

Kale

This crop usually has enough season here that maturity is rarely the hard part.

When to Plant Kale in Burnaby

Lettuce

Very early to mid-season varieties usually fit comfortably here.

When to Plant Lettuce in Burnaby

Onions

Onions are usually one of the easier crops to grow here.

When to Plant Onions in Burnaby

Peas

Burnaby usually gives peas enough season that maturity is rarely the hard part.

When to Plant Peas in Burnaby

Potatoes

Potatoes perform easily here in a typical year.

When to Plant Potatoes in Burnaby

Spinach

This crop usually has enough season here that maturity is rarely the hard part.

When to Plant Spinach in Burnaby

Strawberries

Very early to mid-season varieties usually fit comfortably here.

When to Plant Strawberries in Burnaby

Swiss Chard

Swiss chard is usually one of the easier crops to grow here.

When to Plant Swiss Chard in Burnaby

Zucchini

Burnaby usually gives zucchini enough season that maturity is rarely the hard part.

When to Plant Zucchini in Burnaby

Strong fit

Melons

Melons are usually a dependable crop choice here.

When to Plant Melons in Burnaby

Peppers

Burnaby usually gives peppers enough season for reliable maturity.

When to Plant Peppers in Burnaby

Pumpkin

Pumpkin performs well here when planted on time.

When to Plant Pumpkin in Burnaby

Sweet Corn

This crop usually gives gardeners some real room to work with.

When to Plant Sweet Corn in Burnaby

Tomatoes

Very early to late varieties usually fit well here.

When to Plant Tomatoes in Burnaby

Watermelons

Watermelons are usually a dependable crop choice here.

When to Plant Watermelons in Burnaby

Winter Squash

Burnaby usually gives winter squash enough season for reliable maturity.

When to Plant Winter Squash in Burnaby

Looking for broader guidance? See planting timing across British Columbia