When to plant in Carbondale, KS
Planting dates worked out from Carbondale's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 24
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 14
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 20
1 year in 10 by Oct 7
Frost-free days
189
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Topeka Forbes Fld · 14.0 km away · station 315 m, town 343 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 27 – Mar 13 | Apr 24 – May 8 | Jun 18 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 13 – Feb 27 | Apr 24 – May 8 | Jun 23 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 10 – Feb 17 | Mar 17 – Mar 31 | Apr 26 |
| Peas | — | Mar 11 – Apr 8 | May 5 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 17 – May 8 | Jun 6 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 24 – May 5 | May 23 |
| Beet | — | Mar 19 – Apr 30 | May 8 |
| Potato | — | Mar 24 – Apr 14 | Jun 2 |
| Kale | Feb 4 – Feb 18 | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | Apr 30 |
| Broccoli | Feb 3 – Feb 17 | Mar 17 – Apr 7 | May 16 |
| Cucumber | Mar 27 – Apr 3 | Apr 24 – May 8 | Jun 13 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 27 – Apr 3 | Apr 24 – May 8 | Jun 8 |
| Winter squash | Mar 27 – Apr 3 | Apr 24 – May 8 | Jul 13 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 17 – May 8 | Jun 16 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 17 – Apr 7 | Jun 15 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 6 – Nov 3 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 11 – Apr 8 | Apr 18 |
| Basil | Mar 13 – Mar 27 | Apr 24 – May 8 | Jun 20 |
Carbondale'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 |
|---|---|
| 1949 | Apr 16 |
| 1952 | Apr 11 |
| 1953 | Apr 20 |
| 1954 | Apr 4 |
| 1955 | Mar 28 |
| 1956 | Apr 24 |
| 1957 | Apr 13 |
| 1958 | Apr 7 |
| 1959 | Apr 13 |
| 1960 | Apr 10 |
| 1961 | Apr 16 |
| 1962 | Apr 16 |
| 1963 | May 1 |
| 1964 | Apr 9 |
| 1965 | Mar 31 |
| 1966 | Apr 21 |
| 1967 | Apr 27 |
| 1968 | Apr 5 |
| 1969 | Mar 31 |
| 1998 | Apr 18 |
| 1999 | Apr 18 |
| 2000 | Apr 12 |
| 2001 | Apr 18 |
| 2002 | Apr 5 |
| 2003 | Apr 10 |
| 2004 | May 3 |
| 2005 | May 3 |
| 2006 | Apr 9 |
| 2007 | Apr 15 |
| 2008 | Apr 14 |
| 2009 | Apr 14 |
| 2010 | Apr 8 |
| 2011 | Apr 5 |
| 2012 | Apr 8 |
| 2013 | Apr 25 |
| 2014 | Apr 18 |
| 2015 | Apr 4 |
| 2016 | Apr 12 |
| 2017 | Apr 7 |
| 2018 | Apr 19 |
| 2019 | Apr 13 |
| 2020 | Apr 15 |
| 2021 | Apr 22 |
| 2022 | Apr 26 |
| 2023 | Apr 23 |
| 2024 | Apr 5 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1949 | 196 |
| 1952 | 177 |
| 1953 | 198 |
| 1954 | 208 |
| 1955 | 218 |
| 1956 | 197 |
| 1957 | 194 |
| 1958 | 223 |
| 1959 | 187 |
| 1960 | 191 |
| 1961 | 192 |
| 1962 | 191 |
| 1963 | 184 |
| 1964 | 182 |
| 1965 | 221 |
| 1966 | 177 |
| 1967 | 182 |
| 1968 | 216 |
| 1969 | 196 |
| 1998 | 205 |
| 1999 | 168 |
| 2000 | 177 |
| 2001 | 190 |
| 2002 | 190 |
| 2003 | 189 |
| 2004 | 151 |
| 2005 | 173 |
| 2006 | 185 |
| 2007 | 192 |
| 2008 | 195 |
| 2009 | 178 |
| 2010 | 203 |
| 2011 | 196 |
| 2012 | 181 |
| 2013 | 175 |
| 2014 | 195 |
| 2015 | 207 |
| 2016 | 213 |
| 2017 | 202 |
| 2018 | 178 |
| 2019 | 180 |
| 2020 | 183 |
| 2022 | 173 |
| 2023 | 176 |
| 2024 | 192 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1949 | 20.8 °C |
| 1952 | 21.8 °C |
| 1953 | 21.7 °C |
| 1954 | 22.9 °C |
| 1955 | 22.7 °C |
| 1956 | 22.4 °C |
| 1957 | 20.6 °C |
| 1958 | 20.7 °C |
| 1959 | 20.8 °C |
| 1960 | 20.7 °C |
| 1961 | 19.2 °C |
| 1962 | 20.6 °C |
| 1963 | 21.8 °C |
| 1964 | 20.9 °C |
| 1965 | 20.8 °C |
| 1966 | 20.0 °C |
| 1967 | 19.1 °C |
| 1968 | 20.1 °C |
| 1970 | 21.6 °C |
| 1998 | 21.4 °C |
| 1999 | 20.6 °C |
| 2000 | 21.9 °C |
| 2001 | 21.4 °C |
| 2002 | 21.6 °C |
| 2003 | 20.9 °C |
| 2004 | 20.1 °C |
| 2005 | 21.3 °C |
| 2006 | 21.7 °C |
| 2007 | 21.4 °C |
| 2008 | 20.0 °C |
| 2009 | 19.9 °C |
| 2010 | 22.2 °C |
| 2011 | 22.1 °C |
| 2012 | 22.7 °C |
| 2013 | 20.5 °C |
| 2014 | 21.1 °C |
| 2015 | 22.1 °C |
| 2016 | 22.6 °C |
| 2017 | 21.7 °C |
| 2018 | 22.4 °C |
| 2019 | 21.9 °C |
| 2020 | 21.0 °C |
| 2021 | 21.6 °C |
| 2022 | 21.8 °C |
| 2023 | 22.0 °C |
| 2024 | 21.5 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1949, Carbondale's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. The frost-free season has shrunk by about 2 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Topeka Forbes Fld (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.