When to plant in Valley Falls, KS
Planting dates worked out from Valley Falls's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 1
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 16
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 16
1 year in 10 by Oct 3
Frost-free days
186
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Oskaloosa 4 Ne · 19.7 km away · station 338 m, town 287 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 6 – Mar 20 | May 1 – May 15 | Jun 25 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 20 – Mar 6 | May 1 – May 15 | Jun 30 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 12 – Feb 19 | Mar 19 – Apr 2 | Apr 28 |
| Peas | — | Mar 14 – Apr 11 | May 8 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 24 – May 15 | Jun 13 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 26 – May 7 | May 25 |
| Beet | — | Mar 23 – May 4 | May 12 |
| Potato | — | Mar 26 – Apr 16 | Jun 4 |
| Kale | Feb 7 – Feb 21 | Mar 21 – Apr 4 | May 3 |
| Broccoli | Feb 5 – Feb 19 | Mar 19 – Apr 9 | May 18 |
| Cucumber | Apr 3 – Apr 10 | May 1 – May 15 | Jun 20 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 3 – Apr 10 | May 1 – May 15 | Jun 15 |
| Winter squash | Apr 3 – Apr 10 | May 1 – May 15 | Jul 20 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 24 – May 15 | Jun 23 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 19 – Apr 9 | Jun 17 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 2 – Oct 30 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 14 – Apr 11 | Apr 21 |
| Basil | Mar 20 – Apr 3 | May 1 – May 15 | Jun 27 |
Valley Falls'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 |
|---|---|
| 1959 | Apr 13 |
| 1960 | Apr 30 |
| 1961 | Apr 16 |
| 1962 | Apr 15 |
| 1963 | Apr 23 |
| 1964 | Apr 9 |
| 1965 | Apr 28 |
| 1966 | Apr 21 |
| 1967 | May 2 |
| 1968 | Apr 24 |
| 1969 | Apr 3 |
| 1970 | Apr 5 |
| 1971 | Apr 7 |
| 1972 | Apr 8 |
| 1973 | May 3 |
| 1974 | Apr 15 |
| 1975 | Apr 12 |
| 1976 | May 3 |
| 1977 | Apr 5 |
| 1978 | Apr 21 |
| 1979 | Apr 6 |
| 1980 | May 8 |
| 1981 | Mar 23 |
| 1982 | Apr 21 |
| 1983 | Apr 19 |
| 1984 | Apr 5 |
| 1985 | Apr 9 |
| 1986 | Apr 22 |
| 1987 | Apr 5 |
| 1988 | Mar 19 |
| 1989 | Apr 19 |
| 1990 | Apr 14 |
| 1991 | Mar 30 |
| 1992 | Apr 22 |
| 1993 | Apr 5 |
| 1994 | Apr 30 |
| 1995 | Apr 27 |
| 1996 | Apr 16 |
| 1997 | Apr 17 |
| 1998 | Apr 17 |
| 1999 | Mar 26 |
| 2000 | Apr 12 |
| 2001 | Apr 17 |
| 2002 | Apr 25 |
| 2003 | Apr 9 |
| 2004 | May 3 |
| 2005 | May 3 |
| 2007 | Apr 15 |
| 2008 | Apr 24 |
| 2009 | Apr 14 |
| 2010 | Mar 23 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1959 | 197 |
| 1960 | 172 |
| 1961 | 186 |
| 1962 | 192 |
| 1963 | 191 |
| 1964 | 182 |
| 1965 | 178 |
| 1966 | 177 |
| 1967 | 177 |
| 1968 | 162 |
| 1969 | 193 |
| 1970 | 186 |
| 1971 | 212 |
| 1972 | 193 |
| 1973 | 178 |
| 1974 | 182 |
| 1975 | 195 |
| 1976 | 157 |
| 1977 | 189 |
| 1978 | 177 |
| 1979 | 189 |
| 1980 | 163 |
| 1981 | 209 |
| 1982 | 181 |
| 1983 | 156 |
| 1984 | 173 |
| 1985 | 174 |
| 1986 | 173 |
| 1987 | 188 |
| 1988 | 222 |
| 1989 | 183 |
| 1991 | 189 |
| 1992 | 177 |
| 1993 | 187 |
| 1994 | 177 |
| 1995 | 147 |
| 1996 | 188 |
| 1997 | 191 |
| 1998 | 202 |
| 1999 | 191 |
| 2000 | 176 |
| 2001 | 181 |
| 2002 | 170 |
| 2003 | 199 |
| 2004 | 151 |
| 2008 | 184 |
| 2010 | 226 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1959 | 21.2 °C |
| 1960 | 21.2 °C |
| 1961 | 19.6 °C |
| 1962 | 21.2 °C |
| 1963 | 22.3 °C |
| 1964 | 21.4 °C |
| 1965 | 21.0 °C |
| 1966 | 20.0 °C |
| 1967 | 19.7 °C |
| 1968 | 20.4 °C |
| 1969 | 20.9 °C |
| 1970 | 21.7 °C |
| 1971 | 21.4 °C |
| 1973 | 20.6 °C |
| 1974 | 20.7 °C |
| 1975 | 21.2 °C |
| 1976 | 21.2 °C |
| 1977 | 22.3 °C |
| 1978 | 21.6 °C |
| 1979 | 20.4 °C |
| 1980 | 22.6 °C |
| 1981 | 21.3 °C |
| 1982 | 20.2 °C |
| 1983 | 21.2 °C |
| 1984 | 20.8 °C |
| 1985 | 20.8 °C |
| 1986 | 21.6 °C |
| 1987 | 21.8 °C |
| 1988 | 22.2 °C |
| 1989 | 20.3 °C |
| 1990 | 20.5 °C |
| 1991 | 21.9 °C |
| 1992 | 19.1 °C |
| 1993 | 19.7 °C |
| 1994 | 20.6 °C |
| 1995 | 19.8 °C |
| 1996 | 20.1 °C |
| 1997 | 19.9 °C |
| 1998 | 21.7 °C |
| 2000 | 21.8 °C |
| 2003 | 21.0 °C |
| 2004 | 20.3 °C |
| 2005 | 21.3 °C |
| 2009 | 20.1 °C |
| 2010 | 22.0 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1959, Valley Falls'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 Oskaloosa 4 Ne (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.