GreenlyGardening in Ecuador: climate, frost dates and crops by region
None of the 15 cities of Ecuador on this page had frost in 2016–2025, so gardens there follow warmth and rain rather than frost dates. The last spring frost comes first in Latacunga (around 5 August) and last in Cuenca (around 9 December). The warmest month averages 29.9 °C by day in Quevedo and 12.5 °C in Latacunga.
Climate zones of Ecuador
By the days between the last spring frost and the first autumn frost.
| Zone | Cities | Frost-free days | Last spring frost | First autumn frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost without a regular season | Latacunga, Cuenca | — | 5 August – 9 December | — |
| No frost in ten years | Esmeraldas, Tulcán, Ibarra, Quito, Santo Domingo (Ecuador), Manta, Quevedo, Portoviejo, Ambato, Riobamba, Guayaquil, Machala, Loja | — | — | — |
How the regions of Ecuador differ
Splitting the cities in two — north (Esmeraldas, Tulcán, Ibarra and 4 more) and south (Portoviejo, Ambato, Riobamba and 4 more): the warmest month averages 21.1 °C by day in the north and 19.8 °C in the south.
The gap between the warmest month’s days and the coldest month’s nights is widest in Ibarra (12.4 °C) and smallest in Esmeraldas (5.3 °C): the smaller it is, the milder both winter and summer. Santo Domingo (Ecuador) is the wettest of these cities with 3,851 mm a year, Manta the driest with 649 mm.
Which crops suit which part of Ecuador
Season long enough: the days from planting to the first autumn frost cover the days to the first harvest on the plant card. Each window starts on the Greenly calendar date and ends on the last day that still leaves the crop’s days to harvest (from its card) before the average first autumn frost, plus six weeks of picking for crops harvested over weeks (tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, cucumbers, courgettes, pumpkins, watermelons, beans) — our rule; earlier in the window is safer.
| Crop | Planting out or sowing | Season long enough | Tight or too short |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, Cucumber, Bell Pepper, Eggplant, Zucchini, Pumpkin, Watermelon | from 12 August (Latacunga) | all 2 | — |
| Peas | from 15 July (Latacunga) | all 2 | — |
Cities without a spring frost: months that suit each crop
Months whose average day is not above the highest temperature on the plant card and whose average night is not below its lowest.
| City | Tomato | Cucumber | Bell Pepper | Eggplant | Watermelon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Esmeraldas | none | all year | all year | all year | all year |
| Tulcán | none | none | none | none | none |
| Ibarra | none | none | none | none | none |
| Quito | none | none | none | none | none |
| Santo Domingo (Ecuador) | June–January | all year | all year | February–May | all year |
| Manta | none | all year | all year | February, March, May, June and December | all year |
| Quevedo | none | all year | all year | May–August and December–February | all year |
| Portoviejo | none | all year | all year | January–May | all year |
| Ambato | none | none | none | none | none |
| Riobamba | none | none | none | none | none |
| Guayaquil | none | all year | all year | February and May–July | all year |
| Machala | May–December | all year | all year | October–July | all year |
| Loja | none | none | none | none | none |
Cities of Ecuador: weather in numbers
| City | Frost-free days | Warmest month, day | Coldest month, night | Rain a year | Driest month | Places to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Esmeraldas | no frost | March, 28.4 °C | November, 23.1 °C | 1,668 mm | November | — |
| Tulcán | no frost | November, 15.2 °C | September, 4.3 °C | 1,619 mm | September | — |
| Ibarra | no frost | September, 21.1 °C | August, 8.7 °C | 1,348 mm | August | 8 |
| Quito | no frost | September, 18.1 °C | July, 6.8 °C | 2,594 mm | July | 24 |
| Santo Domingo (Ecuador) | no frost | April, 27.6 °C | August, 19.6 °C | 3,851 mm | August | 13 |
| Latacunga | — | November, 12.5 °C | August, 3 °C | 1,442 mm | September | — |
| Manta | no frost | April, 29.4 °C | August, 20.3 °C | 649 mm | September | 11 |
| Quevedo | no frost | September, 29.9 °C | August, 21 °C | 3,368 mm | August | — |
| Portoviejo | no frost | April, 28.8 °C | August, 19.6 °C | 1,083 mm | September | — |
| Ambato | no frost | November, 17.7 °C | August, 8.1 °C | 1,442 mm | September | 19 |
| Riobamba | no frost | November, 15.9 °C | August, 4.8 °C | 1,075 mm | August | 12 |
| Guayaquil | no frost | April, 29.6 °C | August, 20.5 °C | 1,529 mm | August | 26 |
| Cuenca | — | November, 18.4 °C | August, 6.6 °C | 1,652 mm | August | 31 |
| Machala | no frost | February, 27.8 °C | August, 20.7 °C | 1,165 mm | September | 4 |
| Loja | no frost | November, 19.8 °C | July, 10.7 °C | 1,928 mm | August | 17 |
ERA5 2016–2025 via Open-Meteo, 25 km grid cell of each city; dates by the Greenly calendar and the plant cards.
