Newfoundland and Labrador · Growing Zone 5b
Gardeners in St. John's, NL can expect the average last spring frost around May 8, and the first fall frost around October 12, based on historical Environment Canada frost data for the area. That gives St. John's a frost-free growing season of roughly 157 days. Actual frost dates shift by a week or two year to year, so use this as a planning baseline rather than an exact guarantee, and always check your local forecast before moving tender plants outside.
You have your St. John's frost dates. Now put them to work: GrowBlock counts back your indoor seed-starting weeks, marks your safe planting day, warns you before a frost, and lays your whole season out on one timeline.
Plan your St. John's garden freeFree forever for one garden, no credit card. Built for Canadian gardeners.
Most warm-season crops (tomatoes, peppers, squash) need transplanting only after the last frost has passed, and are usually started indoors 6 to 8 weeks before that date. Cold-hardy crops (peas, lettuce, spinach) can often go in the ground a few weeks before the last frost. As St. John's's first fall frost approaches in October, it's time to plan the last harvests for anything frost-sensitive still in the ground.
Approximate dates for common crops in St. John's, worked out from the local last frost around May 8. Warm crops go out after frost, cold-hardy crops a few weeks before it, and anything with an indoor start is counted back from its sow date.
| Crop | Start indoors | Sow / transplant out | Approx. harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🍅 Tomato | April 3 | May 22 | August 10 |
| 🌶️ Pepper | March 20 | May 22 | August 5 |
| 🥒 Cucumber | — | May 15 | July 12 |
| 🥬 Zucchini | — | May 15 | July 4 |
| 🥬 Lettuce | — | April 17 | June 1 |
| 🥬 Spinach | — | April 17 | June 4 |
| 🫛 Peas | — | April 17 | June 18 |
| 🥕 Carrots | — | April 17 | June 24 |
| 🫘 Bush beans | — | May 8 | June 27 |
| 🥬 Kale | March 20 | April 17 | June 11 |
Guideline dates from St. John's's average frost window, not a guarantee. GrowBlock tunes these to each variety you plant and adjusts as you build your beds.
This calendar is a starting point. In GrowBlock every date is tuned to the exact varieties you plant and updates as you lay out your beds, and you can share the plan with whoever you garden with, changes show up for both of you.
Build your St. John's garden planAround May 8 on average, though it can vary by a week or two either way depending on the year.
St. John's is in zone 5b, with a frost-free season of about 157 days.
Now that you have your dates, here is how to put them to work through the season:
More how-to on the GrowBlock gardening blog.
See frost dates for all Canadian cities covered by GrowBlock.