When to plant in Paducah, KY
Planting dates worked out from Paducah'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 4
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 30
1 year in 10 by Oct 18
Frost-free days
210
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Brookport Dam 52 · 6.8 km away · station 101 m, town 104 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) | Jan 31 – Feb 7 | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | Apr 16 |
| Peas | — | Mar 2 – Mar 30 | Apr 26 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 11 – May 2 | May 31 |
| 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 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 7 – Mar 28 | Jun 5 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 16 – Nov 13 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 2 – Mar 30 | Apr 9 |
| Basil | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | Apr 18 – May 2 | Jun 14 |
Paducah'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 |
|---|---|
| 1962 | Apr 16 |
| 1963 | Mar 21 |
| 1965 | Mar 27 |
| 1966 | Apr 10 |
| 1967 | Mar 22 |
| 1968 | Mar 24 |
| 1969 | Mar 31 |
| 1970 | Mar 31 |
| 1971 | Apr 8 |
| 1972 | Apr 9 |
| 1973 | Apr 13 |
| 1974 | Apr 9 |
| 1975 | Apr 5 |
| 1976 | May 4 |
| 1977 | Mar 23 |
| 1978 | Apr 22 |
| 1979 | Apr 6 |
| 1980 | Apr 16 |
| 1981 | Mar 25 |
| 1982 | Apr 24 |
| 1983 | Apr 26 |
| 1984 | Apr 7 |
| 1985 | Apr 9 |
| 1986 | Apr 23 |
| 1987 | Apr 6 |
| 1988 | Apr 16 |
| 1989 | Apr 12 |
| 1990 | Apr 8 |
| 1992 | Apr 5 |
| 1993 | Apr 22 |
| 1994 | Apr 7 |
| 1995 | Apr 5 |
| 1996 | Apr 10 |
| 1997 | Apr 18 |
| 1998 | Apr 5 |
| 1999 | Mar 27 |
| 2000 | Apr 9 |
| 2002 | Apr 5 |
| 2003 | Mar 31 |
| 2004 | Apr 14 |
| 2005 | Mar 20 |
| 2006 | Mar 31 |
| 2007 | Apr 10 |
| 2008 | Apr 16 |
| 2009 | Mar 30 |
| 2010 | Mar 7 |
| 2012 | Mar 11 |
| 2013 | Apr 21 |
| 2014 | Apr 17 |
| 2017 | Mar 20 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1962 | 190 |
| 1963 | 222 |
| 1965 | 211 |
| 1966 | 198 |
| 1967 | 202 |
| 1968 | 215 |
| 1969 | 210 |
| 1970 | 217 |
| 1971 | 209 |
| 1972 | 193 |
| 1973 | 206 |
| 1974 | 181 |
| 1975 | 222 |
| 1976 | 166 |
| 1977 | 203 |
| 1978 | 168 |
| 1979 | 186 |
| 1980 | 171 |
| 1981 | 191 |
| 1982 | 179 |
| 1983 | 148 |
| 1984 | 209 |
| 1985 | 179 |
| 1986 | 200 |
| 1987 | 180 |
| 1988 | 179 |
| 1989 | 202 |
| 1990 | 200 |
| 1992 | 196 |
| 1993 | 188 |
| 1994 | 201 |
| 1996 | 205 |
| 1997 | 186 |
| 1998 | 215 |
| 1999 | 210 |
| 2000 | 184 |
| 2002 | 210 |
| 2004 | 224 |
| 2005 | 222 |
| 2007 | 205 |
| 2009 | 241 |
| 2010 | 235 |
| 2012 | 234 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1962 | 21.7 °C |
| 1963 | 21.2 °C |
| 1964 | 22.1 °C |
| 1965 | 22.4 °C |
| 1966 | 21.3 °C |
| 1967 | 20.7 °C |
| 1968 | 21.9 °C |
| 1969 | 22.3 °C |
| 1970 | 22.7 °C |
| 1971 | 21.7 °C |
| 1972 | 21.2 °C |
| 1973 | 21.9 °C |
| 1974 | 21.1 °C |
| 1975 | 21.6 °C |
| 1976 | 20.9 °C |
| 1977 | 23.2 °C |
| 1979 | 21.1 °C |
| 1980 | 22.6 °C |
| 1981 | 21.7 °C |
| 1982 | 21.0 °C |
| 1983 | 21.0 °C |
| 1984 | 20.7 °C |
| 1985 | 21.8 °C |
| 1986 | 22.3 °C |
| 1987 | 22.9 °C |
| 1988 | 21.9 °C |
| 1990 | 21.0 °C |
| 1992 | 20.6 °C |
| 1993 | 21.4 °C |
| 1994 | 20.6 °C |
| 1995 | 21.7 °C |
| 1996 | 21.1 °C |
| 1997 | 20.6 °C |
| 1998 | 23.0 °C |
| 1999 | 22.9 °C |
| 2000 | 22.4 °C |
| 2002 | 23.3 °C |
| 2004 | 21.8 °C |
| 2006 | 21.0 °C |
| 2007 | 22.1 °C |
| 2008 | 20.9 °C |
| 2009 | 20.8 °C |
| 2010 | 23.1 °C |
| 2012 | 22.8 °C |
| 2013 | 20.6 °C |
| 2014 | 21.0 °C |
| 2017 | 21.9 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1962, Paducah's last spring frost has come about 1 day earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 4 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Brookport Dam 52 (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.