When to plant in Ledbetter, KY
Planting dates worked out from Ledbetter's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 18
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 7
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 28
1 year in 10 by Oct 16
Frost-free days
202
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Smithland L&d · 13.6 km away · station 109 m, town 106 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 21 – Mar 7 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jun 12 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 7 – Feb 21 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jun 17 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 3 – Feb 10 | Mar 10 – Mar 24 | Apr 19 |
| Peas | — | Mar 4 – Apr 1 | Apr 28 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 11 – May 2 | May 31 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 17 – Apr 28 | May 16 |
| Beet | — | Mar 16 – Apr 27 | May 5 |
| Potato | — | Mar 17 – Apr 7 | May 26 |
| Kale | Jan 28 – Feb 11 | Mar 11 – Mar 25 | Apr 23 |
| Broccoli | Jan 27 – Feb 10 | Mar 10 – Mar 31 | May 9 |
| Cucumber | Mar 21 – Mar 28 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jun 7 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 21 – Mar 28 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jun 2 |
| Winter squash | Mar 21 – Mar 28 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jul 7 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 11 – May 2 | Jun 10 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 10 – Mar 31 | Jun 8 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 14 – Nov 11 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 4 – Apr 1 | Apr 11 |
| Basil | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jun 14 |
Ledbetter'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 |
|---|---|
| 1981 | Mar 24 |
| 1986 | Apr 24 |
| 1988 | Apr 17 |
| 1989 | Apr 13 |
| 1990 | Apr 13 |
| 1991 | Apr 1 |
| 1992 | Apr 4 |
| 1993 | Apr 23 |
| 1994 | Apr 8 |
| 1995 | Apr 2 |
| 1996 | Apr 11 |
| 1997 | Apr 19 |
| 1998 | Apr 6 |
| 1999 | Mar 28 |
| 2000 | Apr 10 |
| 2002 | Mar 28 |
| 2003 | Mar 31 |
| 2004 | Apr 15 |
| 2005 | Mar 22 |
| 2006 | Mar 28 |
| 2008 | Apr 30 |
| 2009 | Apr 8 |
| 2010 | Mar 8 |
| 2012 | Apr 13 |
| 2013 | Apr 13 |
| 2014 | Apr 17 |
| 2015 | Mar 29 |
| 2016 | Mar 21 |
| 2018 | Apr 18 |
| 2019 | Apr 16 |
| 2020 | Apr 16 |
| 2021 | Apr 22 |
| 2022 | Mar 21 |
| 2023 | Mar 21 |
| 2024 | Apr 7 |
| 2025 | Mar 22 |
| 2026 | Mar 18 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1981 | 213 |
| 1988 | 178 |
| 1989 | 189 |
| 1990 | 196 |
| 1991 | 188 |
| 1992 | 216 |
| 1993 | 187 |
| 1994 | 228 |
| 1995 | 210 |
| 1996 | 190 |
| 1997 | 186 |
| 1998 | 214 |
| 1999 | 206 |
| 2000 | 181 |
| 2002 | 218 |
| 2003 | 227 |
| 2004 | 204 |
| 2005 | 221 |
| 2008 | 179 |
| 2009 | 192 |
| 2010 | 234 |
| 2012 | 201 |
| 2013 | 194 |
| 2014 | 198 |
| 2015 | 202 |
| 2016 | 234 |
| 2018 | 204 |
| 2019 | 179 |
| 2020 | 199 |
| 2021 | 195 |
| 2024 | 192 |
| 2025 | 232 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1981 | 21.9 °C |
| 1987 | 22.9 °C |
| 1988 | 21.6 °C |
| 1989 | 20.6 °C |
| 1990 | 20.7 °C |
| 1991 | 22.5 °C |
| 1992 | 20.3 °C |
| 1993 | 21.2 °C |
| 1994 | 20.7 °C |
| 1995 | 21.4 °C |
| 1996 | 20.8 °C |
| 1998 | 22.4 °C |
| 1999 | 22.0 °C |
| 2000 | 21.2 °C |
| 2001 | 21.7 °C |
| 2002 | 22.5 °C |
| 2003 | 20.8 °C |
| 2004 | 21.0 °C |
| 2005 | 21.6 °C |
| 2006 | 21.4 °C |
| 2008 | 21.0 °C |
| 2009 | 20.9 °C |
| 2010 | 23.1 °C |
| 2012 | 22.3 °C |
| 2013 | 20.5 °C |
| 2014 | 21.1 °C |
| 2015 | 21.7 °C |
| 2016 | 22.2 °C |
| 2018 | 22.0 °C |
| 2019 | 22.0 °C |
| 2020 | 21.1 °C |
| 2021 | 21.0 °C |
| 2022 | 21.4 °C |
| 2023 | 21.3 °C |
| 2024 | 22.3 °C |
| 2025 | 22.3 °C |
| 2026 | 23.2 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1981, Ledbetter's last spring frost has come about 2 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 2 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Smithland L&d (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.