Moses Lake, WA planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 7a0 to 5 °F
- Last frost
- Apr 27avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Oct 8avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 165days
Moses Lake, Washington is in USDA plant hardiness zone 7a. Its average last spring frost is around April 27 and the first fall frost around October 8, giving a growing season of about 165 days (NOAA 1991–2020 normals, 32°F, median). Start tender crops like tomatoes and peppers indoors weeks before the last frost and set them out afterward; sow hardy crops such as peas, spinach, and lettuce before it. The planner below turns those frost dates into a printable per-crop planting calendar.
Moses Lake planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Moses Lake's average frost dates. hatched = start seeds indoors, solid green = plant out, teal = a fall sowing, and the terracotta dot marks the estimated first harvest. Ranges are extension-guide planning guidance, not guarantees.
- Start indoors
- Plant out
- Fall sowing
- First harvest
| Crop | Frost tolerance | Start indoors | Plant out | First harvest | Fall planting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Tender | Mar 2 – Mar 16 | May 4 – May 11 | Jul 3 – Jul 23 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Feb 16 – Mar 2 | May 11 – May 18 | Jul 10 – Aug 9 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | Mar 30 – Apr 6 | May 4 – May 11 | Jun 23 – Jul 13 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | May 4 – May 11 | Jun 18 – Jul 3 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | May 4 – May 11 | Jun 23 – Jul 3 | Aug 9 – Aug 19 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Apr 27 – May 11 | Jun 26 – Jul 26 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Mar 16 – Mar 30 | May 4 – May 11 | Jun 3 – Jun 18 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Mar 16 – Mar 30 | Mar 30 – Apr 13 | May 14 – May 29 | Jul 26 – Aug 10 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Mar 16 – Mar 30 | May 10 – May 25 | Jul 16 – Jul 31 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Mar 16 – Mar 30 | Apr 25 – May 5 | Aug 5 – Aug 15 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Apr 6 – Apr 13 | Jun 5 – Jun 25 | Jul 6 – Jul 26 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Mar 2 – Mar 16 | Mar 30 – Apr 13 | May 24 – Jun 13 | Jul 11 – Jul 31 |
Data: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (public domain) and USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Planting windows synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides.
Frost & freeze dates
From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USW00024110. The median (p50) is the average date; the 90%-safe column is the date the freeze has passed in about 9 years out of 10 (p10 for spring, p90 for fall) — the conservative date to plant after or harvest before.
| Threshold | Last spring — avg | Last spring — 90%-safe | First fall — avg | First fall — 90%-safe | Season (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 9 | May 23 | Sep 29 | Oct 10 | 141 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Apr 27 | May 11 | Oct 8 | Oct 23 | 165 |
| 28°F | Apr 10 | Apr 30 | Oct 20 | Nov 5 | 191 |
| 24°F | Mar 16 | Apr 10 | Nov 1 | Nov 18 | 225 |
32°F is the standard "freeze" line that damages tender crops; lighter 36°F frost can nip the most cold-sensitive plants, while hardy crops shrug off light frost down toward 28°F. Use the threshold that matches what you are protecting.
Growing degree days
Growing degree days (GDD) accumulate warmth above a base temperature over the year — a better predictor of crop development than the calendar alone. Warm-season crops need a long, warm GDD total; a short, cool GDD total favors greens and brassicas.
| Model | °F·days | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Base 50°F (warm-season) | 2,772 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 4,989 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 7a
Moses Lake sits in USDA plant hardiness zone 7a on the 2023 map — meaning its average annual extreme minimum winter temperature is about 0 to 5 °F. That number tells you which perennials, shrubs, and trees reliably survive an average winter here; it does not set your planting dates, which come from the frost calendar above.
Explore more places in zone 7a, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What USDA hardiness zone is Moses Lake?
- Moses Lake, Washington is in USDA plant hardiness zone 7a on the 2023 map (average annual extreme minimum temperature 0 to 5 °F) — from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. See the methodology page for sources.
- When is the last frost in Moses Lake?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around April 27, from NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals at the nearest reporting station. Roughly one year in ten the last frost is as late as May 11, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Moses Lake?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around October 8. That leaves a growing season of about 165 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Moses Lake?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Mar 2 – Mar 16 and transplant them outside about May 4 – May 11, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around Jul 3 – Jul 23.
- How long is the growing season in Moses Lake?
- About 165 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~April 27) and the average first fall frost (~October 8). Cold-hardy crops extend usable time at both ends; frost-tender crops fit inside it.
Sources & method
Frost, freeze, growing-season, and growing-degree-day figures are NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 for station USW00024110 (Moses Lake Grant Co Ap, 6.8 km away). The hardiness zone is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. Planting windows are computed by counting from the average last and first frost using per-crop offsets synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides — the full method and citations are on the methodology page.