When to plant in Colwich, KS
Planting dates worked out from Colwich'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 10
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 26
1 year in 10 by Oct 12
Frost-free days
197
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Wichita · 16.1 km away · station 427 m, town 422 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 6 – Feb 13 | Mar 13 – Mar 27 | Apr 22 |
| Peas | — | Mar 3 – Mar 31 | Apr 27 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 17 – May 8 | Jun 6 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 20 – May 1 | May 19 |
| Beet | — | Mar 14 – Apr 25 | May 3 |
| Potato | — | Mar 20 – Apr 10 | May 29 |
| Kale | Jan 30 – Feb 13 | Mar 13 – Mar 27 | Apr 25 |
| Broccoli | Jan 30 – Feb 13 | Mar 13 – Apr 3 | May 12 |
| 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 13 – Apr 3 | Jun 11 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 12 – Nov 9 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 3 – Mar 31 | Apr 10 |
| Basil | Mar 13 – Mar 27 | Apr 24 – May 8 | Jun 20 |
Colwich'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 |
|---|---|
| 1954 | Apr 1 |
| 1955 | Apr 7 |
| 1956 | Apr 17 |
| 1957 | Apr 13 |
| 1958 | Mar 31 |
| 1959 | Apr 22 |
| 1960 | Apr 3 |
| 1961 | Apr 17 |
| 1962 | Apr 13 |
| 1963 | Mar 21 |
| 1964 | Apr 9 |
| 1965 | Apr 28 |
| 1966 | May 13 |
| 1967 | Apr 27 |
| 1968 | Apr 5 |
| 1969 | Mar 30 |
| 1970 | Apr 5 |
| 1971 | Apr 14 |
| 1972 | Apr 8 |
| 1973 | Apr 11 |
| 1974 | Apr 15 |
| 1975 | Apr 12 |
| 1976 | May 3 |
| 1977 | Apr 5 |
| 1978 | Apr 21 |
| 1979 | Apr 6 |
| 1980 | Apr 14 |
| 1981 | Mar 23 |
| 1982 | Apr 21 |
| 1983 | Apr 15 |
| 1984 | Apr 30 |
| 1985 | Apr 1 |
| 1986 | Apr 16 |
| 1987 | Apr 5 |
| 1988 | Mar 30 |
| 1989 | Apr 11 |
| 1990 | Apr 11 |
| 1991 | Mar 30 |
| 1992 | Apr 3 |
| 1993 | Apr 16 |
| 1994 | May 1 |
| 1995 | Apr 27 |
| 1996 | Apr 6 |
| 1997 | Apr 14 |
| 1998 | Mar 21 |
| 1999 | Apr 18 |
| 2000 | Apr 8 |
| 2001 | Apr 18 |
| 2002 | Apr 4 |
| 2003 | Apr 9 |
| 2004 | Apr 11 |
| 2005 | Apr 30 |
| 2006 | Mar 28 |
| 2007 | Apr 15 |
| 2008 | Apr 14 |
| 2009 | Apr 7 |
| 2010 | Apr 8 |
| 2011 | Apr 5 |
| 2012 | Mar 10 |
| 2013 | Apr 24 |
| 2014 | Apr 18 |
| 2015 | Apr 4 |
| 2016 | Apr 2 |
| 2017 | Mar 15 |
| 2018 | Apr 19 |
| 2019 | Apr 12 |
| 2020 | Apr 18 |
| 2021 | Apr 21 |
| 2022 | Apr 26 |
| 2023 | Apr 23 |
| 2024 | Mar 28 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1954 | 212 |
| 1955 | 199 |
| 1956 | 204 |
| 1957 | 194 |
| 1958 | 210 |
| 1959 | 187 |
| 1960 | 199 |
| 1961 | 191 |
| 1962 | 194 |
| 1963 | 224 |
| 1964 | 182 |
| 1965 | 178 |
| 1966 | 155 |
| 1967 | 187 |
| 1968 | 205 |
| 1969 | 197 |
| 1970 | 193 |
| 1971 | 199 |
| 1972 | 193 |
| 1973 | 200 |
| 1974 | 204 |
| 1975 | 188 |
| 1976 | 157 |
| 1977 | 218 |
| 1978 | 198 |
| 1979 | 210 |
| 1980 | 197 |
| 1981 | 213 |
| 1982 | 181 |
| 1983 | 208 |
| 1984 | 152 |
| 1985 | 182 |
| 1986 | 206 |
| 1987 | 217 |
| 1988 | 230 |
| 1989 | 189 |
| 1990 | 181 |
| 1991 | 212 |
| 1992 | 214 |
| 1993 | 193 |
| 1994 | 198 |
| 1995 | 147 |
| 1996 | 207 |
| 1997 | 194 |
| 1998 | 234 |
| 1999 | 188 |
| 2000 | 182 |
| 2001 | 191 |
| 2002 | 195 |
| 2003 | 199 |
| 2004 | 206 |
| 2005 | 176 |
| 2006 | 206 |
| 2007 | 199 |
| 2008 | 195 |
| 2009 | 202 |
| 2010 | 210 |
| 2011 | 196 |
| 2012 | 211 |
| 2013 | 176 |
| 2014 | 195 |
| 2015 | 222 |
| 2016 | 223 |
| 2017 | 225 |
| 2018 | 178 |
| 2019 | 182 |
| 2020 | 189 |
| 2021 | 204 |
| 2022 | 174 |
| 2023 | 188 |
| 2024 | 201 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1954 | 24.3 °C |
| 1955 | 23.1 °C |
| 1956 | 23.3 °C |
| 1957 | 21.0 °C |
| 1958 | 21.8 °C |
| 1959 | 21.9 °C |
| 1960 | 21.8 °C |
| 1961 | 20.6 °C |
| 1962 | 22.5 °C |
| 1963 | 23.4 °C |
| 1964 | 22.9 °C |
| 1965 | 22.4 °C |
| 1966 | 21.6 °C |
| 1967 | 20.8 °C |
| 1968 | 21.0 °C |
| 1969 | 21.7 °C |
| 1970 | 22.4 °C |
| 1971 | 21.6 °C |
| 1972 | 21.4 °C |
| 1973 | 21.0 °C |
| 1974 | 21.4 °C |
| 1975 | 21.0 °C |
| 1976 | 21.1 °C |
| 1977 | 23.2 °C |
| 1978 | 23.3 °C |
| 1979 | 21.6 °C |
| 1980 | 23.8 °C |
| 1981 | 22.8 °C |
| 1982 | 21.6 °C |
| 1983 | 21.1 °C |
| 1984 | 21.9 °C |
| 1985 | 22.1 °C |
| 1986 | 22.7 °C |
| 1987 | 22.3 °C |
| 1988 | 22.7 °C |
| 1989 | 21.1 °C |
| 1990 | 22.6 °C |
| 1991 | 23.2 °C |
| 1992 | 20.7 °C |
| 1993 | 21.2 °C |
| 1994 | 21.8 °C |
| 1995 | 20.6 °C |
| 1996 | 21.7 °C |
| 1997 | 20.8 °C |
| 1998 | 23.4 °C |
| 1999 | 21.6 °C |
| 2000 | 22.9 °C |
| 2001 | 23.2 °C |
| 2002 | 22.4 °C |
| 2003 | 21.9 °C |
| 2004 | 21.8 °C |
| 2005 | 22.5 °C |
| 2006 | 23.1 °C |
| 2007 | 22.2 °C |
| 2008 | 21.4 °C |
| 2009 | 21.4 °C |
| 2010 | 23.7 °C |
| 2011 | 23.9 °C |
| 2012 | 24.4 °C |
| 2013 | 21.8 °C |
| 2014 | 22.5 °C |
| 2015 | 23.1 °C |
| 2016 | 23.3 °C |
| 2017 | 22.4 °C |
| 2018 | 23.1 °C |
| 2019 | 22.9 °C |
| 2020 | 22.1 °C |
| 2021 | 22.3 °C |
| 2022 | 23.4 °C |
| 2023 | 23.1 °C |
| 2024 | 23.2 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1954, Colwich's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Wichita (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.