When to plant in Plains, KS
Planting dates worked out from Plains's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 2
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 15
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 20
1 year in 10 by Oct 6
Frost-free days
184
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Meade · 22.1 km away · station 763 m, town 841 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 7 – Mar 21 | May 2 – May 16 | Jun 26 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 21 – Mar 7 | May 2 – May 16 | Jul 1 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 11 – Feb 18 | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | Apr 27 |
| Peas | — | Mar 11 – Apr 8 | May 5 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 25 – May 16 | Jun 14 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 25 – May 6 | May 24 |
| Beet | — | Mar 20 – May 1 | May 9 |
| Potato | — | Mar 25 – Apr 15 | Jun 3 |
| Kale | Feb 4 – Feb 18 | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | Apr 30 |
| Broccoli | Feb 4 – Feb 18 | Mar 18 – Apr 8 | May 17 |
| Cucumber | Apr 4 – Apr 11 | May 2 – May 16 | Jun 21 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 4 – Apr 11 | May 2 – May 16 | Jun 16 |
| Winter squash | Apr 4 – Apr 11 | May 2 – May 16 | Jul 21 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 25 – May 16 | Jun 24 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 18 – Apr 8 | Jun 16 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 6 – Nov 3 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 11 – Apr 8 | Apr 18 |
| Basil | Mar 21 – Apr 4 | May 2 – May 16 | Jun 28 |
Plains'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 |
|---|---|
| 1896 | Apr 19 |
| 1897 | Apr 14 |
| 1898 | Apr 7 |
| 1899 | Apr 22 |
| 1949 | Apr 3 |
| 1950 | Apr 30 |
| 1951 | Apr 16 |
| 1952 | Apr 14 |
| 1953 | May 14 |
| 1954 | May 3 |
| 1955 | Apr 7 |
| 1957 | Apr 14 |
| 1958 | Apr 24 |
| 1959 | Apr 22 |
| 1960 | May 12 |
| 1961 | Apr 16 |
| 1962 | Apr 7 |
| 1963 | Apr 23 |
| 1964 | Apr 13 |
| 1965 | Apr 28 |
| 1966 | May 13 |
| 1967 | May 2 |
| 1968 | Apr 8 |
| 1969 | Apr 28 |
| 1970 | Apr 14 |
| 1971 | May 13 |
| 1972 | Apr 4 |
| 1974 | Apr 16 |
| 1975 | Apr 19 |
| 1976 | Apr 1 |
| 1977 | Apr 5 |
| 1978 | May 3 |
| 1979 | May 11 |
| 1980 | Apr 14 |
| 1981 | May 10 |
| 1982 | Apr 23 |
| 1983 | Apr 25 |
| 1984 | Apr 30 |
| 1985 | Mar 30 |
| 1986 | Apr 13 |
| 1987 | Apr 21 |
| 1988 | Apr 23 |
| 1989 | Apr 12 |
| 1990 | May 1 |
| 1991 | Apr 1 |
| 1992 | Apr 4 |
| 1993 | Apr 3 |
| 1994 | Apr 29 |
| 1995 | Apr 12 |
| 1996 | May 2 |
| 1997 | Apr 15 |
| 1998 | Apr 17 |
| 1999 | Apr 17 |
| 2000 | Apr 17 |
| 2001 | Apr 17 |
| 2002 | Apr 6 |
| 2003 | Mar 13 |
| 2004 | Apr 15 |
| 2005 | May 3 |
| 2006 | Apr 27 |
| 2007 | Apr 13 |
| 2011 | Mar 31 |
| 2012 | Mar 11 |
| 2013 | May 4 |
| 2014 | May 3 |
| 2015 | Apr 21 |
| 2017 | Apr 30 |
| 2018 | Apr 27 |
| 2019 | Apr 15 |
| 2020 | Apr 18 |
| 2021 | Apr 22 |
| 2022 | Apr 26 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1896 | 185 |
| 1897 | 196 |
| 1898 | 192 |
| 1899 | 179 |
| 1949 | 201 |
| 1950 | 186 |
| 1951 | 185 |
| 1952 | 175 |
| 1953 | 165 |
| 1954 | 176 |
| 1957 | 193 |
| 1958 | 159 |
| 1959 | 178 |
| 1960 | 160 |
| 1961 | 185 |
| 1962 | 204 |
| 1963 | 191 |
| 1964 | 188 |
| 1965 | 199 |
| 1966 | 140 |
| 1967 | 175 |
| 1968 | 192 |
| 1969 | 167 |
| 1970 | 176 |
| 1971 | 168 |
| 1972 | 197 |
| 1974 | 181 |
| 1975 | 158 |
| 1976 | 179 |
| 1977 | 188 |
| 1978 | 168 |
| 1979 | 151 |
| 1980 | 185 |
| 1981 | 161 |
| 1982 | 179 |
| 1983 | 148 |
| 1984 | 151 |
| 1985 | 182 |
| 1986 | 181 |
| 1987 | 201 |
| 1988 | 187 |
| 1989 | 188 |
| 1990 | 161 |
| 1991 | 200 |
| 1992 | 195 |
| 1993 | 190 |
| 1994 | 180 |
| 1995 | 162 |
| 1996 | 168 |
| 1997 | 193 |
| 1998 | 201 |
| 1999 | 169 |
| 2000 | 170 |
| 2001 | 171 |
| 2002 | 200 |
| 2003 | 229 |
| 2004 | 200 |
| 2005 | 173 |
| 2006 | 187 |
| 2007 | 195 |
| 2012 | 209 |
| 2013 | 165 |
| 2014 | 181 |
| 2017 | 174 |
| 2018 | 170 |
| 2019 | 178 |
| 2020 | 187 |
| 2021 | 176 |
| 2022 | 173 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1895 | 23.2 °C |
| 1896 | 24.2 °C |
| 1897 | 23.6 °C |
| 1898 | 22.3 °C |
| 1899 | 21.0 °C |
| 1949 | 20.9 °C |
| 1950 | 20.3 °C |
| 1951 | 21.2 °C |
| 1952 | 22.5 °C |
| 1953 | 21.8 °C |
| 1954 | 23.4 °C |
| 1956 | 23.5 °C |
| 1957 | 21.0 °C |
| 1958 | 22.1 °C |
| 1959 | 22.0 °C |
| 1960 | 22.1 °C |
| 1961 | 20.5 °C |
| 1962 | 22.0 °C |
| 1963 | 23.4 °C |
| 1964 | 22.8 °C |
| 1965 | 21.8 °C |
| 1966 | 21.6 °C |
| 1967 | 21.0 °C |
| 1969 | 21.9 °C |
| 1970 | 22.1 °C |
| 1971 | 21.7 °C |
| 1972 | 21.1 °C |
| 1974 | 21.6 °C |
| 1975 | 21.6 °C |
| 1976 | 21.5 °C |
| 1977 | 23.4 °C |
| 1978 | 22.3 °C |
| 1980 | 22.7 °C |
| 1981 | 22.7 °C |
| 1982 | 21.4 °C |
| 1983 | 21.5 °C |
| 1984 | 21.2 °C |
| 1985 | 22.0 °C |
| 1986 | 21.9 °C |
| 1987 | 21.3 °C |
| 1989 | 20.0 °C |
| 1990 | 21.6 °C |
| 1991 | 22.2 °C |
| 1992 | 20.9 °C |
| 1993 | 21.2 °C |
| 1994 | 21.8 °C |
| 1995 | 20.6 °C |
| 1996 | 21.1 °C |
| 1997 | 20.0 °C |
| 1998 | 22.3 °C |
| 1999 | 20.8 °C |
| 2000 | 21.8 °C |
| 2001 | 22.7 °C |
| 2002 | 22.4 °C |
| 2003 | 21.6 °C |
| 2004 | 20.4 °C |
| 2005 | 21.5 °C |
| 2007 | 21.5 °C |
| 2012 | 23.3 °C |
| 2013 | 21.4 °C |
| 2014 | 20.9 °C |
| 2015 | 21.6 °C |
| 2017 | 21.2 °C |
| 2018 | 21.7 °C |
| 2019 | 21.4 °C |
| 2020 | 21.1 °C |
| 2021 | 21.4 °C |
| 2022 | 22.5 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1896, Plains'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 Meade (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.