When to plant in Fort Riley North, KS
Planting dates worked out from Fort Riley North's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 27
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 12
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 22
1 year in 10 by Oct 7
Frost-free days
190
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Milford Lake · 8.3 km away · station 370 m, town 406 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 | Mar 2 – Mar 16 | Apr 27 – May 11 | Jun 21 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 16 – Mar 2 | Apr 27 – May 11 | Jun 26 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 8 – Feb 15 | Mar 15 – Mar 29 | Apr 24 |
| Peas | — | Mar 15 – Apr 12 | May 9 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 20 – May 11 | Jun 9 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 23 – May 4 | May 22 |
| Beet | — | Mar 23 – May 4 | May 12 |
| Potato | — | Mar 23 – Apr 13 | Jun 1 |
| Kale | Feb 8 – Feb 22 | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | May 4 |
| Broccoli | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Mar 15 – Apr 5 | May 14 |
| Cucumber | Mar 30 – Apr 6 | Apr 27 – May 11 | Jun 16 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 30 – Apr 6 | Apr 27 – May 11 | Jun 11 |
| Winter squash | Mar 30 – Apr 6 | Apr 27 – May 11 | Jul 16 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 20 – May 11 | Jun 19 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 15 – Apr 5 | Jun 13 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 8 – Nov 5 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 15 – Apr 12 | Apr 22 |
| Basil | Mar 16 – Mar 30 | Apr 27 – May 11 | Jun 23 |
Fort Riley North'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 |
|---|---|
| 1966 | Apr 21 |
| 1967 | May 2 |
| 1968 | Apr 24 |
| 1969 | Mar 31 |
| 1970 | Apr 14 |
| 1971 | Apr 8 |
| 1972 | Apr 9 |
| 1973 | Apr 11 |
| 1974 | Apr 15 |
| 1975 | Apr 13 |
| 1976 | May 4 |
| 1977 | Apr 5 |
| 1978 | Apr 22 |
| 1979 | Apr 10 |
| 1980 | Apr 15 |
| 1981 | May 12 |
| 1982 | Apr 21 |
| 1983 | Apr 19 |
| 1984 | Apr 30 |
| 1985 | Apr 9 |
| 1986 | Apr 23 |
| 1987 | Apr 4 |
| 1988 | Mar 18 |
| 1989 | Apr 19 |
| 1990 | Apr 13 |
| 1991 | Mar 31 |
| 1992 | Apr 23 |
| 1993 | Apr 9 |
| 1994 | May 2 |
| 1995 | Apr 27 |
| 1996 | Apr 30 |
| 1997 | Apr 15 |
| 1998 | Mar 21 |
| 1999 | Apr 5 |
| 2000 | Apr 9 |
| 2001 | Apr 18 |
| 2002 | Apr 5 |
| 2003 | Apr 10 |
| 2004 | Apr 12 |
| 2009 | Apr 15 |
| 2010 | Apr 9 |
| 2011 | Mar 31 |
| 2012 | Mar 11 |
| 2013 | Apr 26 |
| 2014 | Apr 19 |
| 2015 | Apr 5 |
| 2016 | Apr 9 |
| 2018 | Apr 17 |
| 2019 | Apr 13 |
| 2020 | Apr 17 |
| 2021 | Apr 23 |
| 2022 | Apr 15 |
| 2023 | Apr 7 |
| 2024 | Mar 28 |
| 2025 | Apr 7 |
| 2026 | Mar 24 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1967 | 178 |
| 1968 | 197 |
| 1969 | 196 |
| 1970 | 184 |
| 1971 | 205 |
| 1972 | 192 |
| 1973 | 200 |
| 1974 | 182 |
| 1975 | 187 |
| 1976 | 156 |
| 1977 | 189 |
| 1978 | 186 |
| 1979 | 182 |
| 1980 | 186 |
| 1981 | 128 |
| 1982 | 181 |
| 1983 | 156 |
| 1984 | 152 |
| 1986 | 199 |
| 1987 | 198 |
| 1988 | 222 |
| 1989 | 183 |
| 1990 | 179 |
| 1991 | 188 |
| 1992 | 195 |
| 1993 | 183 |
| 1994 | 176 |
| 1995 | 176 |
| 1996 | 183 |
| 1997 | 194 |
| 1998 | 234 |
| 1999 | 181 |
| 2000 | 180 |
| 2001 | 190 |
| 2002 | 190 |
| 2003 | 198 |
| 2009 | 177 |
| 2010 | 210 |
| 2011 | 202 |
| 2012 | 209 |
| 2013 | 176 |
| 2015 | 215 |
| 2016 | 215 |
| 2018 | 180 |
| 2019 | 181 |
| 2020 | 190 |
| 2021 | 208 |
| 2022 | 185 |
| 2023 | 203 |
| 2024 | 201 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1966 | 20.2 °C |
| 1967 | 19.1 °C |
| 1968 | 20.0 °C |
| 1969 | 20.5 °C |
| 1970 | 21.1 °C |
| 1971 | 20.3 °C |
| 1972 | 20.3 °C |
| 1973 | 20.1 °C |
| 1974 | 20.2 °C |
| 1975 | 20.3 °C |
| 1976 | 20.2 °C |
| 1977 | 21.6 °C |
| 1978 | 21.2 °C |
| 1979 | 19.6 °C |
| 1980 | 21.7 °C |
| 1981 | 19.6 °C |
| 1983 | 20.2 °C |
| 1984 | 19.9 °C |
| 1985 | 20.0 °C |
| 1986 | 21.5 °C |
| 1987 | 21.8 °C |
| 1988 | 21.9 °C |
| 1989 | 20.4 °C |
| 1990 | 20.6 °C |
| 1991 | 21.8 °C |
| 1992 | 19.0 °C |
| 1993 | 19.2 °C |
| 1994 | 20.4 °C |
| 1995 | 19.6 °C |
| 1996 | 20.0 °C |
| 1997 | 19.8 °C |
| 1998 | 21.6 °C |
| 1999 | 20.2 °C |
| 2000 | 21.8 °C |
| 2001 | 21.5 °C |
| 2002 | 21.7 °C |
| 2003 | 20.7 °C |
| 2004 | 20.1 °C |
| 2009 | 19.4 °C |
| 2010 | 22.0 °C |
| 2011 | 21.4 °C |
| 2012 | 22.4 °C |
| 2013 | 20.4 °C |
| 2016 | 21.7 °C |
| 2018 | 21.7 °C |
| 2019 | 20.8 °C |
| 2020 | 20.5 °C |
| 2021 | 21.5 °C |
| 2022 | 22.0 °C |
| 2023 | 22.3 °C |
| 2024 | 21.8 °C |
| 2025 | 20.9 °C |
| 2026 | 22.9 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1966, Fort Riley North's last spring frost has come about 2 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 3 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Milford Lake (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.