When to plant in Mount Washington, KY
Planting dates worked out from Mount Washington'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 8
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 28
1 year in 10 by Oct 18
Frost-free days
202
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Louisville Wfo · 11.3 km away · station 193 m, town 215 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 4 – Feb 11 | Mar 11 – Mar 25 | Apr 20 |
| Peas | — | Mar 5 – Apr 2 | Apr 29 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 11 – May 2 | May 31 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 18 – Apr 29 | May 17 |
| Beet | — | Mar 16 – Apr 27 | May 5 |
| Potato | — | Mar 18 – Apr 8 | May 27 |
| Kale | Jan 29 – Feb 12 | Mar 12 – Mar 26 | Apr 24 |
| Broccoli | Jan 28 – Feb 11 | Mar 11 – Apr 1 | May 10 |
| 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 11 – Apr 1 | Jun 9 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 14 – Nov 11 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 5 – Apr 2 | Apr 12 |
| Basil | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jun 14 |
Mount Washington'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 |
|---|---|
| 1997 | Apr 18 |
| 1998 | Apr 5 |
| 1999 | Mar 28 |
| 2000 | Apr 9 |
| 2001 | Apr 18 |
| 2002 | Apr 7 |
| 2003 | Mar 31 |
| 2004 | Apr 14 |
| 2005 | Mar 21 |
| 2006 | Apr 9 |
| 2007 | Apr 10 |
| 2008 | Apr 15 |
| 2009 | Apr 8 |
| 2010 | Mar 27 |
| 2011 | Apr 1 |
| 2012 | Apr 12 |
| 2013 | Apr 5 |
| 2014 | Apr 16 |
| 2015 | Mar 29 |
| 2016 | Apr 9 |
| 2017 | Mar 23 |
| 2018 | Apr 17 |
| 2019 | Apr 1 |
| 2020 | May 9 |
| 2021 | Apr 21 |
| 2022 | Apr 10 |
| 2023 | Apr 24 |
| 2024 | Apr 6 |
| 2025 | Apr 12 |
| 2026 | Mar 29 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 186 |
| 1998 | 200 |
| 1999 | 219 |
| 2000 | 181 |
| 2001 | 191 |
| 2002 | 207 |
| 2003 | 221 |
| 2004 | 208 |
| 2005 | 221 |
| 2006 | 188 |
| 2007 | 201 |
| 2008 | 195 |
| 2009 | 192 |
| 2010 | 223 |
| 2011 | 210 |
| 2012 | 206 |
| 2013 | 201 |
| 2014 | 198 |
| 2015 | 202 |
| 2016 | 217 |
| 2017 | 219 |
| 2018 | 186 |
| 2019 | 213 |
| 2020 | 176 |
| 2021 | 195 |
| 2022 | 189 |
| 2023 | 189 |
| 2024 | 228 |
| 2025 | 211 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 19.2 °C |
| 1998 | 21.4 °C |
| 1999 | 21.7 °C |
| 2000 | 20.7 °C |
| 2001 | 21.3 °C |
| 2002 | 21.7 °C |
| 2003 | 20.3 °C |
| 2004 | 20.8 °C |
| 2005 | 21.4 °C |
| 2006 | 20.5 °C |
| 2007 | 21.6 °C |
| 2008 | 20.6 °C |
| 2009 | 20.3 °C |
| 2010 | 23.0 °C |
| 2011 | 21.7 °C |
| 2012 | 22.1 °C |
| 2013 | 21.1 °C |
| 2014 | 21.3 °C |
| 2015 | 21.1 °C |
| 2016 | 21.7 °C |
| 2017 | 21.5 °C |
| 2018 | 22.0 °C |
| 2019 | 22.4 °C |
| 2020 | 20.7 °C |
| 2021 | 21.2 °C |
| 2022 | 21.5 °C |
| 2023 | 20.9 °C |
| 2024 | 22.4 °C |
| 2025 | 21.9 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1997, Mount Washington's last spring frost has come about 2 days 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 Louisville Wfo (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.