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What Can Grow in British Columbia?

Growing Zone Zone 8
Frost-Free Days 274
Last Frost early March
First Frost early December

BC has dramatically different climates. The mild rainy coast (Zone 7-9) allows near-year-round growing. The interior is semi-arid (Zone 5-7) with hot summers and cold winters. One of Canada's most productive growing regions.

Find your exact zone:
British Columbia spans 5 different growing zones. The planting calendar below uses the most common zone (Zone 8). Use the search above or browse all zones here:
Zone 5 Zone 6 Zone 7 Zone 8 Zone 9

📅 Planting Calendar for British Columbia

When to start seeds indoors and transplant outdoors, based on your frost dates.

Plant Start Indoors Transplant Out Direct Sow Harvest
🌾 Amaranth (Chaulai / Rajgira) Feb 1 Mar 1 — Apr 20 – May 15
🥦 Artichoke Jan 4 Mar 1 — May 25 – Jun 9
🥬 Arugula — — Mar 1 Mar 22 – Apr 10
❤️ Beets — — Mar 1 Apr 20 – May 10
🫑 Bell Pepper Jan 4 Mar 1 — May 10 – May 30
🥬 Bok Choy Feb 1 Mar 1 — Apr 15 – Apr 30
🥒 Bottle Gourd (Lauki / Doodhi) Feb 1 Mar 1 — Apr 20 – May 10
🥦 Broccoli Jan 18 Mar 1 — Apr 30 – May 20
🫛 Brussels Sprouts Jan 4 Mar 1 — May 30 – Aug 28
🥬 Cabbage Jan 18 Mar 1 — May 10 – Jun 29
🥕 Carrot — — Mar 1 May 10 – May 20
🥔 Celeriac Jan 1 Mar 1 — Jun 19 – Jun 29
🍒 Cherry Tomato Jan 18 Mar 1 — Apr 25 – May 10
🌶️ Chili Pepper Jan 4 Mar 1 — May 5 – May 20
🥬 Collard Greens Feb 1 Mar 1 — Apr 30 – May 20
🌽 Corn — — Mar 1 Apr 30 – May 30
🥒 Cucumber Feb 8 Mar 1 — Apr 20 – May 10
🫛 Edamame (Soybean) — — Mar 1 May 10 – Jun 4
🍆 Eggplant Jan 4 Mar 1 — May 5 – May 20
🫘 Fava Beans — — Mar 1 May 20 – Jun 9
🌿 Florence Fennel — — Mar 1 May 5 – May 30
🧄 Garlic — — Oct 1 – Oct 31 Jun – Jul (following year)
🫚 Ginger Jan 4 Mar 1 — Oct 27 – Dec 26
🫘 Green Beans — — Mar 1 Apr 20 – May 5
🍬 Ground Cherry Jan 18 Mar 1 — May 10 – May 25
🥬 Kale Feb 1 Mar 1 — Apr 25 – May 15
🥬 Kohlrabi Feb 1 Mar 1 — Apr 15 – Apr 30
🧅 Leek Jan 1 Mar 1 — Jun 9 – Jul 29
🥬 Lettuce — — Mar 1 Mar 31 – Apr 30
🥒 Luffa (Turai / Ridge Gourd) Feb 1 Mar 1 — May 10 – May 30
🌱 Microgreens — — Mar 1 Mar 8 – Mar 22
🥬 Mustard Greens — — Mar 1 Mar 31 – Apr 10
🌶️ Okra Feb 8 Mar 1 — Apr 20 – May 5
🧅 Onion Jan 4 Mar 1 — May 30 – Jun 29
🥕 Parsnip — — Mar 1 Jun 9 – Jul 9
🫛 Peas — — Mar 1 Apr 25 – May 10
🥔 Potato — — Mar 1 May 10 – Jun 29
🎃 Pumpkin Feb 8 Mar 1 — May 15 – Jun 9
🔴 Radish — — Mar 1 Mar 23 – Mar 31
🥔 Rutabaga — — Mar 1 May 30 – Jun 14
🫛 Snap Peas — — Mar 1 Apr 30 – May 10
🥬 Spinach — — Mar 1 Apr 10 – Apr 20
🍠 Sweet Potato — — Mar 1 May 30 – Jun 29
🥬 Swiss Chard — — Mar 1 Apr 20 – Apr 30
🫚 Taro (Arbi / Colocasia) Jan 4 Mar 1 — Jul 29 – Sep 17
🫑 Tomatillo Jan 18 Mar 1 — May 15 – Jun 9
🍅 Tomato Jan 18 Mar 1 — Apr 30 – May 25
🟡 Turmeric (Haldi) Jan 4 Mar 1 — Oct 27 – Dec 26
🫛 Turnip — — Mar 1 Apr 15 – Apr 30
🫛 Yard-Long Beans (Snake Beans) Feb 8 Mar 1 — Apr 30 – May 20
🥬 Zucchini Feb 8 Mar 1 — Apr 15 – Apr 30
🌿 Basil Feb 1 Mar 1 — Mar 31 – Apr 30
🌳 Bay Laurel — — Mar 1 Aug 28 – Mar 1
💙 Borage — — Mar 1 Apr 20 – Apr 30
🌿 Cilantro — — Mar 1 Mar 22 – Apr 15
🌿 Dill — — Mar 1 Apr 10 – Apr 30
🌱 Fenugreek (Methi) — — Mar 1 Mar 21 – Mar 31
🌿 French Tarragon — — Mar 1 Apr 30 – May 30
🌼 German Chamomile — — Mar 1 Apr 30 – May 30
🍃 Lemon Balm Jan 18 Mar 1 — Apr 30 – May 10
🌿 Parsley — — Mar 1 May 10 – May 30
🌿 Stevia Jan 4 Mar 1 — Apr 30 – May 20
🍉 Watermelon Feb 1 Mar 1 — May 10 – May 30
🌻 Sunflower — — Mar 1 Apr 30 – May 20

Dates are averages based on Zone 8 frost dates (last frost: early March, first frost: early December). Adjust for your specific microclimate.

🥦 Vegetables

🍓 Fruits

🌿 Herbs

⚠️ Worth Trying (Marginal)

These plants are outside the ideal zone range but possible with the right approach.

🗺️ Canadian Plant Hardiness Zones

Zone 8 is shown in this colour on the map below
Canadian Plant Hardiness Zone Map — zones 0 to 9

Canadian Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2014) — Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada / Canadian Forest Service

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Canadian zones run 0–9 (coldest to warmest) — a separate system from USDA zones. Browse all Canadian zones →

Browse Related Zones

Canadian Zone 5 Canadian Zone 6 Canadian Zone 7 Canadian Zone 8 Canadian Zone 9

Frequently Asked Questions

BC has dramatically different climates. The mild rainy coast (Zone 7-9) allows near-year-round growing. The interior is semi-arid (Zone 5-7) with hot summers and cold winters. One of Canada's most productive growing regions. Vegetables like Amaranth (Chaulai / Rajgira), Artichoke, Arugula, Asparagus, Beets all grow well here.
Your long 274-day season means you can often fit two or three successions of warm-season crops. Plant after early March; in hot summers, shade cloth helps cool-season crops.
Top vegetables for British Columbia: Amaranth (Chaulai / Rajgira), Artichoke, Arugula, Asparagus, Beets. For beginners, Amaranth (Chaulai / Rajgira) and Arugula are the easiest to start with.
Apple, Banana, Blackberry, Blueberry all grow well in British Columbia. Zone 8 is excellent for most temperate fruits.