Vancouver in September: what to plant
Over the last 5 years, September in Vancouver has run 12.6–18.8°C with about 105 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 Vancouver is actually having, today.
Grow one in Vancouver'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 Mar 10, first autumn frost around Nov 17 — roughly 252 frost-free days. Sow tender crops after the last frost date and make sure they finish before the first.
☀️ About 9.3 h of sunshine a day this month. Within the month it cools by about 3.8°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 Vancouver usually gets, one day at a time — which is why some of these run past the end of the month.
| Crop | Days | Harvest around |
|---|---|---|
| 🌿 Garlic chives | 270 | Jun 11 |
| 🧅 Onion | 288 | Jun 29 |
| 🧅 Leek | 279 | Jun 20 |
| 🫘 Broad bean | 239 | May 11 |
⏳ Too late this month: Marigold, Potato, Strawberry, Bok Choy, Dill, Cauliflower, Daikon radish, Peas would still be in the ground when the first frost arrives (around Nov 17). Sow them earlier in the year, or grow them under cover.
🌡️ Cucumber, Tomato, Chili Pepper, Pumpkin, Edamame, Yardlong bean, Bitter melon, Luffa, Winter melon, Aubergine, Okra never accumulate enough heat outdoors in Vancouver — 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.
- 🏵️ Marigold about 70 days to harvest Recent mean 15.7°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥔 Potato about 104 days to harvest Recent mean 15.7°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌿 Garlic chives about 80 days to harvest Recent mean 15.7°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🍓 Strawberry about 65 days to harvest Recent mean 15.7°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥬 Bok Choy about 43 days to harvest Recent mean 15.7°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🧅 Onion about 99 days to harvest Recent mean 15.7°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌿 Dill about 52 days to harvest Recent mean 15.7°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥬 Cauliflower about 82 days to harvest Recent mean 15.7°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🧅 Leek about 99 days to harvest Recent mean 15.7°C — right in the sweet spot
- ⚪ Daikon radish about 62 days to harvest Recent mean 15.7°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🫛 Peas about 60 days to harvest Recent mean 15.7°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🫘 Broad bean about 75 days to harvest Recent mean 15.7°C — right in the sweet spot
Leave these for another month
- 🌶️ Okra — Recent mean 15.7°C is too cold (ideal 20–33°C)
- 🍆 Aubergine — Recent mean 15.7°C is too cold (ideal 18–32°C)
- 🍈 Winter melon — Recent mean 15.7°C is too cold (ideal 18–32°C)
Other months in Vancouver
📍 Somewhere else? Look up your own city →
Temperature and rainfall come from Open-Meteo's historical observations for Vancouver, 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.