When to plant in Marion, KS
Planting dates worked out from Marion's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 28
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 11
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: Marion Rsvr · 6.0 km away · station 418 m, town 400 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 3 – Mar 17 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 22 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 17 – Mar 3 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 27 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 7 – Feb 14 | Mar 14 – Mar 28 | Apr 23 |
| Peas | — | Mar 13 – Apr 10 | May 7 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 21 – May 12 | Jun 10 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 21 – May 2 | May 20 |
| Beet | — | Mar 21 – May 2 | May 10 |
| Potato | — | Mar 21 – Apr 11 | May 30 |
| Kale | Feb 6 – Feb 20 | Mar 20 – Apr 3 | May 2 |
| Broccoli | Jan 31 – Feb 14 | Mar 14 – Apr 4 | May 13 |
| Cucumber | Mar 31 – Apr 7 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 17 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 31 – Apr 7 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 12 |
| Winter squash | Mar 31 – Apr 7 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jul 17 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 21 – May 12 | Jun 20 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 14 – Apr 4 | Jun 12 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 8 – Nov 5 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 13 – Apr 10 | Apr 20 |
| Basil | Mar 17 – Mar 31 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 24 |
Marion'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 28 |
| 1967 | May 2 |
| 1968 | Apr 24 |
| 1969 | Apr 6 |
| 1970 | Apr 14 |
| 1971 | Apr 14 |
| 1972 | Apr 4 |
| 1973 | Apr 11 |
| 1974 | Apr 5 |
| 1975 | Apr 12 |
| 1976 | May 3 |
| 1977 | Apr 5 |
| 1978 | Apr 21 |
| 1979 | Apr 28 |
| 1980 | Apr 14 |
| 1981 | Mar 23 |
| 1982 | Apr 21 |
| 1983 | Apr 20 |
| 1984 | Apr 5 |
| 1986 | Apr 22 |
| 1987 | Apr 5 |
| 1988 | Apr 12 |
| 1989 | Apr 19 |
| 1990 | Apr 13 |
| 1991 | Mar 31 |
| 1992 | Apr 27 |
| 1993 | Apr 3 |
| 1994 | May 1 |
| 1995 | Apr 12 |
| 1996 | Apr 23 |
| 1997 | Apr 15 |
| 1998 | Mar 22 |
| 1999 | Apr 4 |
| 2000 | Apr 8 |
| 2001 | Apr 18 |
| 2002 | Apr 5 |
| 2003 | Apr 10 |
| 2004 | Apr 13 |
| 2005 | May 2 |
| 2006 | Apr 9 |
| 2007 | Apr 15 |
| 2008 | Apr 16 |
| 2009 | Apr 10 |
| 2010 | Apr 3 |
| 2011 | Apr 5 |
| 2012 | Mar 11 |
| 2013 | May 5 |
| 2014 | Apr 18 |
| 2015 | Apr 4 |
| 2016 | Apr 2 |
| 2017 | Mar 16 |
| 2018 | Apr 19 |
| 2019 | Apr 14 |
| 2021 | Apr 22 |
| 2022 | Apr 26 |
| 2023 | Apr 23 |
| 2024 | Mar 28 |
| 2025 | Apr 8 |
| 2026 | Mar 28 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1966 | 170 |
| 1967 | 175 |
| 1968 | 186 |
| 1969 | 190 |
| 1970 | 184 |
| 1971 | 199 |
| 1972 | 197 |
| 1973 | 159 |
| 1974 | 214 |
| 1975 | 186 |
| 1976 | 157 |
| 1977 | 189 |
| 1978 | 185 |
| 1979 | 187 |
| 1980 | 194 |
| 1981 | 213 |
| 1982 | 182 |
| 1983 | 155 |
| 1984 | 177 |
| 1986 | 196 |
| 1987 | 180 |
| 1988 | 199 |
| 1989 | 157 |
| 1990 | 179 |
| 1991 | 188 |
| 1992 | 172 |
| 1993 | 189 |
| 1994 | 176 |
| 1995 | 191 |
| 1996 | 181 |
| 1997 | 194 |
| 1998 | 233 |
| 1999 | 182 |
| 2000 | 181 |
| 2001 | 190 |
| 2002 | 190 |
| 2003 | 198 |
| 2004 | 171 |
| 2005 | 173 |
| 2006 | 187 |
| 2008 | 193 |
| 2009 | 196 |
| 2010 | 213 |
| 2011 | 197 |
| 2012 | 210 |
| 2013 | 172 |
| 2014 | 196 |
| 2015 | 218 |
| 2016 | 230 |
| 2017 | 224 |
| 2018 | 203 |
| 2019 | 178 |
| 2021 | 191 |
| 2022 | 174 |
| 2023 | 187 |
| 2024 | 201 |
| 2025 | 207 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1966 | 20.8 °C |
| 1967 | 19.5 °C |
| 1968 | 20.3 °C |
| 1969 | 21.1 °C |
| 1970 | 21.4 °C |
| 1971 | 20.6 °C |
| 1972 | 20.7 °C |
| 1973 | 20.0 °C |
| 1974 | 20.2 °C |
| 1975 | 20.2 °C |
| 1976 | 20.6 °C |
| 1977 | 21.7 °C |
| 1978 | 21.9 °C |
| 1979 | 20.3 °C |
| 1980 | 22.7 °C |
| 1981 | 21.1 °C |
| 1982 | 20.4 °C |
| 1983 | 20.5 °C |
| 1984 | 20.6 °C |
| 1985 | 20.4 °C |
| 1986 | 21.9 °C |
| 1987 | 21.2 °C |
| 1988 | 21.2 °C |
| 1989 | 20.3 °C |
| 1990 | 21.1 °C |
| 1991 | 22.2 °C |
| 1992 | 19.4 °C |
| 1993 | 19.8 °C |
| 1994 | 20.8 °C |
| 1995 | 19.8 °C |
| 1996 | 20.4 °C |
| 1997 | 20.1 °C |
| 1998 | 22.3 °C |
| 1999 | 20.6 °C |
| 2000 | 22.3 °C |
| 2001 | 22.2 °C |
| 2002 | 21.9 °C |
| 2003 | 21.1 °C |
| 2004 | 20.6 °C |
| 2005 | 22.1 °C |
| 2006 | 22.3 °C |
| 2007 | 22.1 °C |
| 2008 | 20.9 °C |
| 2009 | 19.9 °C |
| 2010 | 22.3 °C |
| 2011 | 22.2 °C |
| 2012 | 22.4 °C |
| 2013 | 20.1 °C |
| 2014 | 20.9 °C |
| 2015 | 22.3 °C |
| 2016 | 22.8 °C |
| 2017 | 21.7 °C |
| 2018 | 21.6 °C |
| 2019 | 23.0 °C |
| 2021 | 21.5 °C |
| 2022 | 22.1 °C |
| 2023 | 22.4 °C |
| 2024 | 22.0 °C |
| 2025 | 21.3 °C |
| 2026 | 23.2 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1966, Marion's last spring frost has come about 1 day 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 Marion Rsvr (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.