When to plant in Beaver Dam, KY
Planting dates worked out from Beaver Dam's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 13
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 25
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 15
1 year in 10 by Sep 28
Frost-free days
172
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Rough Rvr Lake · 40.6 km away · station 171 m, town 125 m. How we match towns to stations
The nearest reliable station is 41 km away, so frost dates here may be off by a week or more. Check them against local experience.
This season
Plan your garden.
Planting dates for common crops
| Crop | Start indoors | Plant out or sow | Harvest from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | May 13 – May 27 | Jul 7 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 4 – Mar 18 | May 13 – May 27 | Jul 12 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 21 – Feb 28 | Mar 28 – Apr 11 | May 7 |
| Peas | — | Mar 14 – Apr 11 | May 8 |
| Bush beans | — | May 6 – May 27 | Jun 25 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 4 – May 16 | Jun 3 |
| Beet | — | Mar 28 – May 9 | May 17 |
| Potato | — | Apr 4 – Apr 25 | Jun 13 |
| Kale | Feb 14 – Feb 28 | Mar 28 – Apr 11 | May 10 |
| Broccoli | Feb 14 – Feb 28 | Mar 28 – Apr 18 | May 27 |
| Cucumber | Apr 15 – Apr 22 | May 13 – May 27 | Jul 2 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 15 – Apr 22 | May 13 – May 27 | Jun 27 |
| Winter squash | Apr 15 – Apr 22 | May 13 – May 27 | Aug 1 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 6 – May 27 | Jul 5 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 28 – Apr 18 | Jun 26 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 1 – Oct 29 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 14 – Apr 11 | Apr 21 |
| Basil | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | May 13 – May 27 | Jul 9 |
Beaver Dam'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 |
|---|---|
| 1965 | Mar 31 |
| 1966 | May 10 |
| 1967 | Mar 23 |
| 1968 | May 6 |
| 1969 | Apr 1 |
| 1970 | Apr 8 |
| 1971 | May 5 |
| 1972 | Apr 10 |
| 1973 | Apr 14 |
| 1974 | Apr 10 |
| 1975 | Apr 16 |
| 1976 | May 9 |
| 1977 | Apr 9 |
| 1978 | May 2 |
| 1979 | Apr 29 |
| 1980 | May 10 |
| 1982 | Apr 24 |
| 1983 | Apr 26 |
| 1984 | Apr 7 |
| 1985 | Apr 11 |
| 1986 | May 5 |
| 1987 | Apr 11 |
| 1988 | May 1 |
| 1989 | May 13 |
| 1990 | Apr 19 |
| 1991 | Apr 2 |
| 1992 | May 8 |
| 1993 | Apr 23 |
| 1994 | May 3 |
| 1995 | Apr 29 |
| 1996 | May 15 |
| 1997 | May 17 |
| 1998 | Apr 21 |
| 1999 | Apr 14 |
| 2000 | Apr 28 |
| 2001 | Apr 27 |
| 2002 | May 22 |
| 2004 | Apr 16 |
| 2005 | May 4 |
| 2006 | Apr 28 |
| 2007 | Apr 18 |
| 2008 | Apr 29 |
| 2013 | Apr 26 |
| 2014 | Apr 17 |
| 2015 | Apr 24 |
| 2016 | Apr 13 |
| 2017 | Mar 24 |
| 2018 | May 1 |
| 2019 | Apr 3 |
| 2020 | May 10 |
| 2021 | Apr 23 |
| 2022 | Apr 27 |
| 2023 | Apr 25 |
| 2024 | Apr 23 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1965 | 195 |
| 1966 | 148 |
| 1967 | 201 |
| 1968 | 151 |
| 1969 | 198 |
| 1970 | 191 |
| 1971 | 182 |
| 1972 | 192 |
| 1973 | 185 |
| 1974 | 175 |
| 1975 | 211 |
| 1976 | 161 |
| 1977 | 186 |
| 1978 | 158 |
| 1979 | 167 |
| 1980 | 147 |
| 1982 | 175 |
| 1983 | 148 |
| 1984 | 177 |
| 1985 | 173 |
| 1986 | 155 |
| 1987 | 172 |
| 1988 | 156 |
| 1989 | 147 |
| 1990 | 182 |
| 1991 | 177 |
| 1992 | 151 |
| 1993 | 159 |
| 1994 | 174 |
| 1995 | 147 |
| 1996 | 149 |
| 1997 | 150 |
| 1998 | 183 |
| 1999 | 169 |
| 2000 | 161 |
| 2001 | 151 |
| 2002 | 163 |
| 2004 | 183 |
| 2005 | 174 |
| 2013 | 181 |
| 2014 | 195 |
| 2015 | 175 |
| 2016 | 210 |
| 2017 | 219 |
| 2018 | 170 |
| 2019 | 192 |
| 2020 | 159 |
| 2021 | 193 |
| 2022 | 164 |
| 2023 | 188 |
| 2024 | 175 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1964 | 21.4 °C |
| 1965 | 21.5 °C |
| 1966 | 19.6 °C |
| 1967 | 19.7 °C |
| 1968 | 20.4 °C |
| 1969 | 20.9 °C |
| 1970 | 21.3 °C |
| 1971 | 20.1 °C |
| 1972 | 20.7 °C |
| 1973 | 20.4 °C |
| 1974 | 19.6 °C |
| 1975 | 20.3 °C |
| 1976 | 18.9 °C |
| 1977 | 21.2 °C |
| 1978 | 20.4 °C |
| 1979 | 19.3 °C |
| 1980 | 20.1 °C |
| 1983 | 20.4 °C |
| 1984 | 19.3 °C |
| 1985 | 19.7 °C |
| 1986 | 20.2 °C |
| 1987 | 20.1 °C |
| 1988 | 19.7 °C |
| 1989 | 19.4 °C |
| 1990 | 19.2 °C |
| 1991 | 20.9 °C |
| 1992 | 18.0 °C |
| 1993 | 20.2 °C |
| 1994 | 19.3 °C |
| 1995 | 20.1 °C |
| 1996 | 19.4 °C |
| 1997 | 18.5 °C |
| 1998 | 20.7 °C |
| 1999 | 20.5 °C |
| 2000 | 19.5 °C |
| 2001 | 20.0 °C |
| 2002 | 20.8 °C |
| 2004 | 20.5 °C |
| 2005 | 21.0 °C |
| 2006 | 20.6 °C |
| 2007 | 21.4 °C |
| 2013 | 20.3 °C |
| 2014 | 21.0 °C |
| 2015 | 21.6 °C |
| 2016 | 22.2 °C |
| 2017 | 21.2 °C |
| 2018 | 21.9 °C |
| 2019 | 22.0 °C |
| 2020 | 20.3 °C |
| 2021 | 20.5 °C |
| 2022 | 21.1 °C |
| 2023 | 20.5 °C |
| 2024 | 21.4 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1965, Beaver Dam's last spring frost has come about 1 day later per decade, on average. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Rough Rvr Lake (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.