When to plant in Valley Center, KS
Planting dates worked out from Valley Center's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 17
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 4
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 24
1 year in 10 by Oct 12
Frost-free days
202
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Wichita Colonel James Jabara A · 16.5 km away · station 428 m, town 410 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 20 – Mar 6 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jun 11 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 6 – Feb 20 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jun 16 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 31 – Feb 7 | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | Apr 16 |
| Peas | — | Mar 4 – Apr 1 | Apr 28 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 10 – May 1 | May 30 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 15 – Apr 26 | May 14 |
| Beet | — | Mar 15 – Apr 26 | May 4 |
| Potato | — | Mar 15 – Apr 5 | May 24 |
| Kale | Jan 28 – Feb 11 | Mar 11 – Mar 25 | Apr 23 |
| Broccoli | Jan 24 – Feb 7 | Mar 7 – Mar 28 | May 6 |
| Cucumber | Mar 20 – Mar 27 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jun 6 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 20 – Mar 27 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jun 1 |
| Winter squash | Mar 20 – Mar 27 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jul 6 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 10 – May 1 | Jun 9 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 7 – Mar 28 | Jun 5 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 10 – Nov 7 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 4 – Apr 1 | Apr 11 |
| Basil | Mar 6 – Mar 20 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jun 13 |
Valley Center'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 |
|---|---|
| 1997 | Apr 14 |
| 1998 | Mar 21 |
| 1999 | Mar 29 |
| 2000 | Apr 8 |
| 2001 | Apr 17 |
| 2002 | Apr 5 |
| 2003 | Apr 10 |
| 2004 | Apr 11 |
| 2005 | Mar 19 |
| 2006 | Mar 28 |
| 2007 | Apr 13 |
| 2008 | Apr 14 |
| 2009 | Apr 7 |
| 2010 | Mar 22 |
| 2011 | Mar 31 |
| 2012 | Mar 9 |
| 2013 | Apr 24 |
| 2014 | Apr 18 |
| 2015 | Mar 6 |
| 2016 | Apr 2 |
| 2017 | Mar 15 |
| 2018 | Apr 16 |
| 2019 | Apr 14 |
| 2020 | Apr 15 |
| 2021 | Apr 21 |
| 2022 | Apr 9 |
| 2023 | Apr 23 |
| 2024 | Mar 27 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 194 |
| 1999 | 202 |
| 2000 | 181 |
| 2001 | 191 |
| 2002 | 194 |
| 2003 | 198 |
| 2004 | 207 |
| 2005 | 218 |
| 2006 | 206 |
| 2007 | 206 |
| 2008 | 195 |
| 2009 | 202 |
| 2010 | 227 |
| 2011 | 202 |
| 2012 | 211 |
| 2013 | 176 |
| 2014 | 195 |
| 2015 | 236 |
| 2016 | 223 |
| 2017 | 225 |
| 2018 | 180 |
| 2019 | 179 |
| 2020 | 192 |
| 2021 | 204 |
| 2022 | 191 |
| 2023 | 188 |
| 2024 | 202 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 20.4 °C |
| 1999 | 21.4 °C |
| 2000 | 22.4 °C |
| 2001 | 22.8 °C |
| 2002 | 22.0 °C |
| 2003 | 21.1 °C |
| 2004 | 21.1 °C |
| 2005 | 22.4 °C |
| 2006 | 22.6 °C |
| 2007 | 21.9 °C |
| 2008 | 21.0 °C |
| 2009 | 20.7 °C |
| 2010 | 23.3 °C |
| 2011 | 23.4 °C |
| 2012 | 23.6 °C |
| 2013 | 21.1 °C |
| 2014 | 21.8 °C |
| 2015 | 22.5 °C |
| 2016 | 22.4 °C |
| 2017 | 21.7 °C |
| 2018 | 22.1 °C |
| 2019 | 22.1 °C |
| 2020 | 21.6 °C |
| 2021 | 22.1 °C |
| 2022 | 23.2 °C |
| 2023 | 22.9 °C |
| 2024 | 22.7 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Wichita Colonel James Jabara A (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.