SPOKANE, Wash. — It was a chilly start to the first full week of May.
Spokane's low temperature was 34 degrees, just 2 degrees above freezing. Pullman got down to 32 degrees which is considered a "freeze" as far as gardening is concerned.
May 4 is the average date of the final freeze in Spokane, and we were close Monday. But so far, the last freeze in Spokane happened on April 13.
So is it safe to plant your gardens? Maybe. yes we're past the average last freeze, but that means there's still a 50% chance we could still get a freeze after that date. However, the long term outlook for early and mid May is favors near or above average temperatures, so that chance is much less than 50% this year.
The WSU master gardeners peg May 15 is a "safe" average final frost date. By mid May, the chance for a frost or freeze is significantly lower.
So while you could get a head start to plant your gardens, it still might be best to wait one or two more weeks just in case an abnormal cold snap hits the Inland Northwest.
