When to plant in Clay, KY
Planting dates worked out from Clay'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 27
1 year in 10 by Oct 17
Frost-free days
200
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Providence · 10.0 km away · station 125 m, town 116 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 2 – Mar 30 | Apr 26 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 10 – May 1 | May 30 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 14 – Apr 25 | May 13 |
| Beet | — | Mar 13 – Apr 24 | May 2 |
| Potato | — | Mar 14 – Apr 4 | May 23 |
| Kale | Jan 26 – Feb 9 | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Apr 21 |
| 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 13 – Nov 10 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 2 – Mar 30 | Apr 9 |
| Basil | Mar 6 – Mar 20 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jun 13 |
Clay'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 |
|---|---|
| 1979 | Apr 7 |
| 1980 | Apr 5 |
| 1981 | Apr 6 |
| 1982 | Apr 7 |
| 1983 | Apr 25 |
| 1984 | Apr 2 |
| 1986 | Apr 23 |
| 1987 | Apr 4 |
| 1988 | Mar 27 |
| 1989 | Apr 12 |
| 1990 | Apr 18 |
| 1991 | Mar 31 |
| 1992 | Apr 3 |
| 1993 | Apr 4 |
| 1994 | Apr 7 |
| 1995 | Apr 5 |
| 1996 | Apr 10 |
| 1997 | Apr 18 |
| 1998 | Mar 24 |
| 1999 | Mar 28 |
| 2003 | Mar 31 |
| 2006 | Apr 11 |
| 2007 | Apr 10 |
| 2008 | Apr 16 |
| 2009 | Mar 31 |
| 2010 | Mar 8 |
| 2011 | Mar 11 |
| 2018 | Apr 18 |
| 2019 | Apr 3 |
| 2020 | Apr 17 |
| 2021 | Apr 21 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1979 | 189 |
| 1980 | 182 |
| 1981 | 195 |
| 1982 | 192 |
| 1983 | 183 |
| 1984 | 214 |
| 1986 | 200 |
| 1987 | 182 |
| 1988 | 192 |
| 1989 | 190 |
| 1990 | 190 |
| 1991 | 198 |
| 1992 | 198 |
| 1993 | 200 |
| 1994 | 229 |
| 1995 | 211 |
| 1997 | 186 |
| 1998 | 212 |
| 2006 | 185 |
| 2007 | 201 |
| 2009 | 200 |
| 2010 | 234 |
| 2011 | 231 |
| 2018 | 186 |
| 2019 | 211 |
| 2020 | 198 |
| 2021 | 195 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1979 | 21.1 °C |
| 1980 | 23.0 °C |
| 1981 | 22.1 °C |
| 1988 | 22.9 °C |
| 1989 | 20.8 °C |
| 1990 | 20.6 °C |
| 1991 | 23.5 °C |
| 1992 | 21.9 °C |
| 1994 | 22.0 °C |
| 1995 | 22.6 °C |
| 1996 | 20.5 °C |
| 1997 | 20.6 °C |
| 1998 | 22.8 °C |
| 2003 | 21.2 °C |
| 2006 | 20.8 °C |
| 2007 | 23.0 °C |
| 2009 | 21.6 °C |
| 2010 | 23.8 °C |
| 2011 | 22.6 °C |
| 2018 | 22.9 °C |
| 2019 | 22.4 °C |
| 2020 | 20.9 °C |
| 2021 | 20.9 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1979, Clay'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 Providence (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.