Toronto in September: what to plant
Over the last 5 years, September in Toronto has run 14.3–22.1°C with about 64 mm of rain across the month. Here is what weather like that will carry to harvest.
Everything above is a five-year average. In the game it is this — the weather Toronto is actually having, today.
Grow one in Toronto's weather right now →❄️ No sub-zero nights in September in the last 5 years — frost is not the limiting factor here.
🗓️ This month sits inside the frost-free window. Average last spring frost around Apr 26, first autumn frost around Nov 7 — roughly 195 frost-free days. Sow tender crops after the last frost date and make sure they finish before the first.
☀️ About 10.1 h of sunshine a day this month. Within the month it cools by about 2.0°C from the first ten days to the last — the window for autumn sowings is opening.
Sow this month — when would you harvest?
Assuming you sow in mid-September, then adding up the warmth Toronto usually gets, one day at a time — which is why some of these run past the end of the month.
| Crop | Days | Harvest around |
|---|---|---|
| 🥕 Parsnip | 281 | Jun 22 |
| 🥬 Napa cabbage | 259 | May 31 |
⏳ Too late this month: Sweet Corn, Zucchini, Green Beans, Amaranth greens, Cauliflower, Sunflower, Lettuce, Peas, Potato, Marigold would still be in the ground when the first frost arrives (around Nov 7). Sow them earlier in the year, or grow them under cover.
🌡️ Winter melon, Aubergine, Okra never accumulate enough heat outdoors in Toronto — not in any month. Locally these need a greenhouse or a warm windowsill.
Best crops to sow now
They are all ideal for this month — the only real difference is how long each one takes, so pick whatever you want to eat.
- 🌽 Sweet Corn about 111 days to harvest Recent mean 18.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥒 Zucchini about 80 days to harvest Recent mean 18.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥢 Green Beans about 74 days to harvest Recent mean 18.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌿 Amaranth greens about 68 days to harvest Recent mean 18.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥕 Parsnip about 92 days to harvest Recent mean 18.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥬 Napa cabbage about 60 days to harvest Recent mean 18.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥬 Cauliflower about 68 days to harvest Recent mean 18.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌻 Sunflower about 99 days to harvest Recent mean 18.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥗 Lettuce about 46 days to harvest Recent mean 18.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🫛 Peas about 50 days to harvest Recent mean 18.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥔 Potato about 81 days to harvest Recent mean 18.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🏵️ Marigold about 54 days to harvest Recent mean 18.2°C — right in the sweet spot
Leave these for another month
- 🌶️ Okra — Recent mean 18.2°C is too cold (ideal 20–33°C)
- 🍈 Winter melon — Too little heat to ever mature at current temperatures
- 🍆 Aubergine — Slow going at current temperatures (~228 days)
Other months in Toronto
📍 Somewhere else? Look up your own city →
Temperature and rainfall come from Open-Meteo's historical observations for Toronto, averaged day by day over the last 5 years. Whether a crop finishes in time is worked out from its own starting temperature and heat requirement — those numbers are listed on each crop page if you want to check them.