USDA Zone 8a β€” Garden & Frost Dates for Olympia, WA (98501)

This is the local garden report for ZIP code 98501 (Olympia, WA). It pairs the official USDA 2023 hardiness zone with NOAA-based frost dates so you can plan seeds, transplants, and fall crops with real numbers for your neighborhood.

What does zone 8a mean for Olympia?

Zone 8a is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone for ZIP 98501, based on the 30-year (1991-2020) average annual extreme minimum winter temperature. Perennial plants labeled for zone 8a or lower should survive a typical winter here. The last spring frost averages 04-01 and the first fall frost averages 10-28, giving roughly 210 frost-free growing days β€” the window that most vegetables need to go from seed to harvest.

Start your Olympia planting calendar

This calendar is pre-loaded with the exact frost dates for ZIP 98501 (Olympia, WA) β€” more precise than a state-wide average. Pick a crop and print the plan.

In this ZIP (typical zone 4–9), last frost β‰ˆ Apr 1, first frost β‰ˆ Oct 28 (210-day season), your Tomato plan:

Start seeds indoors
Feb 18
Sow / transplant outdoors
Apr 15
First harvest
Jun 24
Spacing / depth
24β€³ / 0.25β€³

Month-by-month (this ZIP, 2026)

MonthAction
Janβ€”
FebStart indoors
Marβ€”
AprSow Β· Transplant
Mayβ€”
JunHarvest
Julβ€”
Augβ€”
Sepβ€”
Octβ€”
Novβ€”
Decβ€”

Start indoors 6 weeks before last frost; transplant after soil warms. Zones 3–13 suitable. Dates are typical; confirm with your county extension and watch the 10-day forecast.

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