When to plant in Gardner, KS
Planting dates worked out from Gardner's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 30
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 13
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 23
1 year in 10 by Oct 10
Frost-free days
193
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Olathe Johnson Co Ind Ap · 3.4 km away · station 322 m, town 323 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 5 – Mar 19 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 24 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 19 – Mar 5 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 29 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 9 – Feb 16 | Mar 16 – Mar 30 | Apr 25 |
| Peas | — | Mar 12 – Apr 9 | May 6 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 23 – May 14 | Jun 12 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 23 – May 4 | May 22 |
| Beet | — | Mar 19 – Apr 30 | May 8 |
| Potato | — | Mar 23 – Apr 13 | Jun 1 |
| Kale | Feb 5 – Feb 19 | Mar 19 – Apr 2 | May 1 |
| Broccoli | Feb 2 – Feb 16 | Mar 16 – Apr 6 | May 15 |
| Cucumber | Apr 2 – Apr 9 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 19 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 2 – Apr 9 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 14 |
| Winter squash | Apr 2 – Apr 9 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jul 19 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 23 – May 14 | Jun 22 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 16 – Apr 6 | Jun 14 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 9 – Nov 6 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 12 – Apr 9 | Apr 19 |
| Basil | Mar 19 – Apr 2 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 26 |
Gardner'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 |
|---|---|
| 1945 | Apr 5 |
| 1948 | Apr 1 |
| 1949 | Apr 16 |
| 1950 | Apr 20 |
| 1951 | Apr 17 |
| 1952 | Apr 10 |
| 1953 | Apr 20 |
| 1954 | May 3 |
| 1955 | Apr 7 |
| 1956 | Apr 24 |
| 1958 | Mar 26 |
| 1959 | Apr 9 |
| 1960 | Apr 30 |
| 1961 | Apr 17 |
| 1962 | Apr 15 |
| 1963 | Mar 21 |
| 1964 | Apr 9 |
| 1965 | Apr 28 |
| 1966 | Apr 21 |
| 1967 | Apr 24 |
| 1968 | Apr 6 |
| 1969 | Mar 31 |
| 1998 | Apr 17 |
| 1999 | Apr 18 |
| 2000 | Apr 8 |
| 2001 | Apr 18 |
| 2002 | Apr 5 |
| 2003 | Apr 10 |
| 2004 | Apr 14 |
| 2005 | May 3 |
| 2006 | Apr 9 |
| 2007 | Apr 14 |
| 2008 | Apr 14 |
| 2009 | Apr 14 |
| 2010 | Mar 29 |
| 2011 | May 3 |
| 2012 | Mar 9 |
| 2013 | May 4 |
| 2014 | Apr 18 |
| 2015 | Apr 4 |
| 2016 | Apr 12 |
| 2017 | Apr 7 |
| 2018 | Apr 19 |
| 2019 | Apr 13 |
| 2020 | Apr 18 |
| 2021 | Apr 22 |
| 2022 | Apr 9 |
| 2023 | Apr 23 |
| 2024 | Apr 5 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1945 | 212 |
| 1948 | 198 |
| 1949 | 197 |
| 1950 | 196 |
| 1951 | 196 |
| 1952 | 178 |
| 1954 | 179 |
| 1955 | 199 |
| 1956 | 197 |
| 1958 | 215 |
| 1959 | 201 |
| 1960 | 171 |
| 1961 | 185 |
| 1962 | 192 |
| 1963 | 224 |
| 1964 | 182 |
| 1965 | 178 |
| 1966 | 193 |
| 1967 | 186 |
| 1968 | 214 |
| 1969 | 209 |
| 1998 | 202 |
| 1999 | 182 |
| 2000 | 180 |
| 2001 | 190 |
| 2002 | 193 |
| 2003 | 198 |
| 2004 | 204 |
| 2005 | 174 |
| 2006 | 186 |
| 2007 | 193 |
| 2008 | 195 |
| 2009 | 178 |
| 2010 | 213 |
| 2011 | 168 |
| 2012 | 211 |
| 2013 | 171 |
| 2014 | 195 |
| 2015 | 207 |
| 2016 | 213 |
| 2017 | 203 |
| 2018 | 178 |
| 2019 | 180 |
| 2020 | 180 |
| 2021 | 193 |
| 2022 | 190 |
| 2023 | 187 |
| 2024 | 193 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1945 | 19.8 °C |
| 1947 | 22.2 °C |
| 1948 | 22.0 °C |
| 1949 | 21.0 °C |
| 1950 | 19.2 °C |
| 1951 | 19.4 °C |
| 1952 | 21.8 °C |
| 1953 | 21.6 °C |
| 1954 | 22.9 °C |
| 1955 | 22.5 °C |
| 1956 | 21.6 °C |
| 1958 | 20.4 °C |
| 1959 | 21.2 °C |
| 1960 | 21.0 °C |
| 1961 | 19.7 °C |
| 1962 | 21.5 °C |
| 1963 | 22.5 °C |
| 1964 | 21.4 °C |
| 1965 | 21.4 °C |
| 1966 | 20.2 °C |
| 1967 | 19.8 °C |
| 1968 | 20.3 °C |
| 1969 | 21.5 °C |
| 1998 | 21.5 °C |
| 1999 | 20.5 °C |
| 2000 | 21.6 °C |
| 2001 | 21.4 °C |
| 2002 | 22.0 °C |
| 2003 | 21.2 °C |
| 2004 | 20.5 °C |
| 2005 | 21.4 °C |
| 2006 | 21.7 °C |
| 2007 | 21.4 °C |
| 2008 | 20.2 °C |
| 2009 | 20.0 °C |
| 2010 | 22.1 °C |
| 2011 | 21.8 °C |
| 2012 | 22.7 °C |
| 2013 | 20.3 °C |
| 2014 | 20.5 °C |
| 2015 | 21.4 °C |
| 2016 | 21.9 °C |
| 2017 | 20.9 °C |
| 2018 | 22.2 °C |
| 2019 | 21.4 °C |
| 2020 | 20.6 °C |
| 2021 | 21.4 °C |
| 2022 | 21.8 °C |
| 2023 | 22.1 °C |
| 2024 | 22.2 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1945, Gardner'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 Olathe Johnson Co Ind Ap (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.