When to plant in Louisa, KY
Planting dates worked out from Louisa's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 20
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 10
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 23
1 year in 10 by Oct 8
Frost-free days
198
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Huntington Swg Pl · 32.6 km away · station 158 m, town 178 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 23 – Mar 9 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 14 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 19 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 6 – Feb 13 | Mar 13 – Mar 27 | Apr 22 |
| Peas | — | Mar 10 – Apr 7 | May 4 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 13 – May 4 | Jun 2 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 20 – May 1 | May 19 |
| Beet | — | Mar 20 – May 1 | May 9 |
| Potato | — | Mar 20 – Apr 10 | May 29 |
| Kale | Feb 3 – Feb 17 | Mar 17 – Mar 31 | Apr 29 |
| Broccoli | Jan 30 – Feb 13 | Mar 13 – Apr 3 | May 12 |
| Cucumber | Mar 23 – Mar 30 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 9 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 23 – Mar 30 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 4 |
| Winter squash | Mar 23 – Mar 30 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jul 9 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 13 – May 4 | Jun 12 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 13 – Apr 3 | Jun 11 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 9 – Nov 6 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 10 – Apr 7 | Apr 17 |
| Basil | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 16 |
Louisa'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 |
|---|---|
| 1969 | Apr 7 |
| 1970 | Apr 11 |
| 1971 | May 4 |
| 1972 | Apr 10 |
| 1973 | May 5 |
| 1976 | Apr 29 |
| 1979 | Apr 10 |
| 1980 | May 9 |
| 1981 | Apr 21 |
| 1985 | Apr 10 |
| 1986 | Apr 24 |
| 1990 | Apr 18 |
| 1991 | Apr 10 |
| 1992 | Apr 6 |
| 1993 | Apr 17 |
| 1994 | Apr 9 |
| 1995 | Apr 7 |
| 1996 | Apr 16 |
| 1998 | Apr 6 |
| 1999 | Mar 30 |
| 2000 | Apr 1 |
| 2001 | Apr 19 |
| 2002 | Apr 8 |
| 2003 | Mar 31 |
| 2004 | Apr 27 |
| 2005 | Mar 22 |
| 2006 | Apr 10 |
| 2007 | Apr 11 |
| 2009 | Apr 12 |
| 2013 | Apr 4 |
| 2014 | Apr 17 |
| 2015 | Apr 25 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1969 | 193 |
| 1970 | 188 |
| 1971 | 184 |
| 1972 | 192 |
| 1980 | 170 |
| 1981 | 181 |
| 1990 | 191 |
| 1991 | 179 |
| 1992 | 196 |
| 1993 | 198 |
| 1994 | 200 |
| 1995 | 210 |
| 1998 | 199 |
| 1999 | 208 |
| 2000 | 189 |
| 2001 | 181 |
| 2002 | 207 |
| 2003 | 184 |
| 2004 | 194 |
| 2005 | 221 |
| 2006 | 187 |
| 2007 | 201 |
| 2009 | 189 |
| 2014 | 198 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1969 | 21.0 °C |
| 1970 | 21.6 °C |
| 1971 | 20.4 °C |
| 1972 | 20.2 °C |
| 1980 | 21.3 °C |
| 1981 | 20.6 °C |
| 1986 | 21.7 °C |
| 1990 | 20.6 °C |
| 1991 | 21.9 °C |
| 1992 | 20.0 °C |
| 1993 | 20.7 °C |
| 1994 | 20.0 °C |
| 1995 | 20.5 °C |
| 1997 | 18.9 °C |
| 1998 | 21.3 °C |
| 1999 | 21.4 °C |
| 2000 | 20.4 °C |
| 2001 | 20.6 °C |
| 2002 | 21.4 °C |
| 2003 | 20.1 °C |
| 2004 | 20.6 °C |
| 2005 | 21.0 °C |
| 2006 | 20.6 °C |
| 2007 | 21.4 °C |
| 2009 | 20.1 °C |
| 2011 | 21.1 °C |
| 2014 | 20.3 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1969, Louisa's last spring frost has come about 3 days earlier per decade, on average. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Huntington Swg Pl (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.