When to plant in Burlington, KS
Planting dates worked out from Burlington's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 16
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 5
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 25
1 year in 10 by Oct 12
Frost-free days
198
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Melvern Lake · 34.6 km away · station 334 m, town 315 m. How we match towns to stations
This season
Plan your garden.
Planting dates for common crops
| Crop | Start indoors | Plant out or sow | Harvest from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Feb 19 – Mar 5 | Apr 16 – Apr 30 | Jun 10 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 5 – Feb 19 | Apr 16 – Apr 30 | Jun 15 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 4 – Feb 11 | Mar 11 – Mar 25 | Apr 20 |
| Peas | — | Mar 11 – Apr 8 | May 5 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 9 – Apr 30 | May 29 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 19 – Apr 30 | May 18 |
| Beet | — | Mar 19 – Apr 30 | May 8 |
| Potato | — | Mar 19 – Apr 9 | May 28 |
| Kale | Feb 4 – Feb 18 | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | Apr 30 |
| Broccoli | Jan 28 – Feb 11 | Mar 11 – Apr 1 | May 10 |
| Cucumber | Mar 19 – Mar 26 | Apr 16 – Apr 30 | Jun 5 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 19 – Mar 26 | Apr 16 – Apr 30 | May 31 |
| Winter squash | Mar 19 – Mar 26 | Apr 16 – Apr 30 | Jul 5 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 9 – Apr 30 | Jun 8 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 11 – Apr 1 | Jun 9 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 11 – Nov 8 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 11 – Apr 8 | Apr 18 |
| Basil | Mar 5 – Mar 19 | Apr 16 – Apr 30 | Jun 12 |
Burlington's weather over time
How the growing season has shifted here, year by year, from the station's own records.
Each year's last spring frostLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Last spring frost |
|---|---|
| 1974 | Apr 15 |
| 1975 | Apr 12 |
| 1976 | May 3 |
| 1977 | Apr 5 |
| 1978 | Apr 21 |
| 1979 | Apr 9 |
| 1980 | Apr 15 |
| 1981 | Mar 23 |
| 1982 | Apr 21 |
| 1983 | May 3 |
| 1984 | Apr 6 |
| 1986 | Apr 22 |
| 1987 | Apr 5 |
| 1988 | Mar 30 |
| 1989 | Apr 12 |
| 1990 | Apr 14 |
| 1991 | Mar 31 |
| 1992 | Apr 3 |
| 1993 | Apr 6 |
| 1994 | Apr 7 |
| 1995 | Apr 5 |
| 2006 | Mar 28 |
| 2008 | Apr 15 |
| 2009 | Apr 8 |
| 2011 | Apr 6 |
| 2012 | Mar 6 |
| 2013 | Apr 26 |
| 2014 | Apr 16 |
| 2015 | Apr 4 |
| 2016 | Apr 2 |
| 2017 | Mar 17 |
| 2018 | Apr 17 |
| 2019 | Apr 2 |
| 2020 | Apr 15 |
| 2021 | Apr 22 |
| 2022 | Apr 2 |
| 2023 | Apr 18 |
| 2024 | Mar 28 |
| 2025 | Apr 9 |
| 2026 | Mar 29 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1974 | 204 |
| 1975 | 195 |
| 1976 | 165 |
| 1977 | 220 |
| 1978 | 199 |
| 1979 | 186 |
| 1981 | 209 |
| 1982 | 182 |
| 1983 | 142 |
| 1987 | 198 |
| 1989 | 190 |
| 1990 | 190 |
| 1991 | 201 |
| 1992 | 196 |
| 1993 | 186 |
| 1995 | 170 |
| 2006 | 207 |
| 2008 | 194 |
| 2009 | 201 |
| 2011 | 196 |
| 2012 | 233 |
| 2013 | 199 |
| 2014 | 198 |
| 2015 | 208 |
| 2016 | 230 |
| 2017 | 224 |
| 2018 | 180 |
| 2019 | 192 |
| 2020 | 193 |
| 2021 | 204 |
| 2022 | 198 |
| 2025 | 207 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1974 | 19.1 °C |
| 1975 | 20.6 °C |
| 1976 | 20.5 °C |
| 1977 | 21.7 °C |
| 1978 | 21.7 °C |
| 1979 | 19.9 °C |
| 1980 | 22.8 °C |
| 1982 | 19.4 °C |
| 1983 | 20.0 °C |
| 1984 | 19.5 °C |
| 1985 | 19.7 °C |
| 1987 | 21.4 °C |
| 1988 | 21.7 °C |
| 1991 | 22.1 °C |
| 1992 | 18.7 °C |
| 1993 | 19.6 °C |
| 1994 | 20.5 °C |
| 1995 | 19.8 °C |
| 2002 | 21.7 °C |
| 2003 | 21.1 °C |
| 2004 | 20.1 °C |
| 2005 | 21.6 °C |
| 2006 | 21.8 °C |
| 2007 | 21.6 °C |
| 2008 | 19.8 °C |
| 2009 | 20.1 °C |
| 2011 | 22.3 °C |
| 2012 | 24.1 °C |
| 2013 | 21.2 °C |
| 2014 | 21.7 °C |
| 2015 | 22.4 °C |
| 2016 | 22.7 °C |
| 2017 | 21.4 °C |
| 2018 | 22.2 °C |
| 2019 | 21.5 °C |
| 2020 | 21.3 °C |
| 2021 | 21.9 °C |
| 2022 | 22.2 °C |
| 2023 | 22.7 °C |
| 2024 | 22.4 °C |
| 2025 | 22.0 °C |
| 2026 | 23.6 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1974, Burlington's last spring frost has come about 2 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 4 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Melvern Lake (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.