When to plant in Princeton, KY
Planting dates worked out from Princeton's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 28
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 25
1 year in 10 by Oct 16
Frost-free days
196
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Princeton 1 Se · 2.1 km away · station 152 m, town 147 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 | Mar 3 – Mar 17 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 22 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 17 – Mar 3 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 27 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 6 – Feb 13 | Mar 13 – Mar 27 | Apr 22 |
| Peas | — | Feb 27 – Mar 27 | Apr 23 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 21 – May 12 | Jun 10 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 20 – May 1 | May 19 |
| Beet | — | Mar 13 – Apr 24 | May 2 |
| Potato | — | Mar 20 – Apr 10 | May 29 |
| Kale | Jan 30 – Feb 13 | Mar 13 – Mar 27 | Apr 25 |
| Broccoli | Jan 30 – Feb 13 | Mar 13 – Apr 3 | May 12 |
| Cucumber | Mar 31 – Apr 7 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 17 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 31 – Apr 7 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 12 |
| Winter squash | Mar 31 – Apr 7 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jul 17 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 21 – May 12 | Jun 20 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 13 – Apr 3 | Jun 11 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 11 – Nov 8 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 27 – Mar 27 | Apr 6 |
| Basil | Mar 17 – Mar 31 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 24 |
Princeton'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 |
|---|---|
| 1965 | Mar 27 |
| 1966 | Apr 10 |
| 1967 | Mar 22 |
| 1968 | Mar 25 |
| 1969 | Mar 31 |
| 1970 | Apr 7 |
| 1971 | Apr 7 |
| 1972 | Apr 9 |
| 1973 | Apr 14 |
| 1974 | Apr 9 |
| 1975 | Apr 13 |
| 1976 | May 4 |
| 1977 | Mar 24 |
| 1978 | Apr 22 |
| 1979 | Apr 6 |
| 1980 | Apr 16 |
| 1981 | Apr 6 |
| 1982 | Apr 10 |
| 1983 | Apr 21 |
| 1984 | Apr 1 |
| 1985 | Apr 10 |
| 1987 | Apr 4 |
| 1988 | Apr 20 |
| 1989 | Apr 12 |
| 1990 | Apr 12 |
| 1991 | Mar 31 |
| 1992 | Apr 28 |
| 1993 | Apr 22 |
| 1994 | Apr 9 |
| 1995 | May 3 |
| 1996 | Apr 10 |
| 1997 | Apr 18 |
| 1998 | Apr 5 |
| 1999 | Mar 27 |
| 2000 | Apr 9 |
| 2001 | Apr 18 |
| 2002 | Apr 6 |
| 2003 | Mar 31 |
| 2004 | Apr 5 |
| 2005 | Apr 24 |
| 2006 | Mar 29 |
| 2007 | Apr 15 |
| 2008 | Apr 29 |
| 2009 | Apr 8 |
| 2010 | Mar 7 |
| 2011 | Mar 11 |
| 2012 | Apr 12 |
| 2013 | May 4 |
| 2014 | Apr 16 |
| 2015 | Apr 5 |
| 2017 | Mar 19 |
| 2019 | Apr 15 |
| 2020 | Apr 15 |
| 2021 | Apr 21 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1965 | 211 |
| 1966 | 199 |
| 1967 | 202 |
| 1968 | 193 |
| 1969 | 200 |
| 1970 | 210 |
| 1971 | 210 |
| 1972 | 193 |
| 1973 | 205 |
| 1974 | 176 |
| 1975 | 214 |
| 1976 | 166 |
| 1977 | 202 |
| 1978 | 175 |
| 1979 | 190 |
| 1980 | 171 |
| 1981 | 200 |
| 1983 | 197 |
| 1984 | 215 |
| 1985 | 209 |
| 1987 | 182 |
| 1988 | 167 |
| 1989 | 189 |
| 1990 | 189 |
| 1991 | 189 |
| 1992 | 173 |
| 1993 | 182 |
| 1994 | 199 |
| 1995 | 174 |
| 1996 | 191 |
| 1997 | 186 |
| 1998 | 200 |
| 1999 | 207 |
| 2000 | 181 |
| 2001 | 181 |
| 2002 | 209 |
| 2003 | 221 |
| 2004 | 217 |
| 2005 | 184 |
| 2006 | 197 |
| 2007 | 196 |
| 2008 | 181 |
| 2009 | 191 |
| 2010 | 235 |
| 2011 | 231 |
| 2012 | 202 |
| 2013 | 173 |
| 2014 | 198 |
| 2015 | 194 |
| 2017 | 222 |
| 2019 | 199 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1965 | 22.4 °C |
| 1966 | 21.1 °C |
| 1967 | 20.5 °C |
| 1968 | 21.7 °C |
| 1969 | 22.0 °C |
| 1970 | 22.3 °C |
| 1971 | 21.3 °C |
| 1972 | 21.6 °C |
| 1973 | 21.6 °C |
| 1974 | 20.9 °C |
| 1975 | 21.3 °C |
| 1976 | 20.5 °C |
| 1977 | 22.9 °C |
| 1978 | 22.5 °C |
| 1979 | 20.9 °C |
| 1980 | 22.4 °C |
| 1981 | 22.1 °C |
| 1982 | 21.0 °C |
| 1983 | 21.7 °C |
| 1984 | 21.1 °C |
| 1985 | 21.8 °C |
| 1988 | 22.2 °C |
| 1989 | 21.3 °C |
| 1990 | 21.5 °C |
| 1991 | 23.2 °C |
| 1992 | 20.9 °C |
| 1993 | 22.0 °C |
| 1994 | 21.5 °C |
| 1995 | 22.3 °C |
| 1996 | 21.9 °C |
| 1997 | 21.2 °C |
| 1998 | 23.2 °C |
| 1999 | 23.2 °C |
| 2000 | 22.4 °C |
| 2001 | 22.6 °C |
| 2002 | 23.1 °C |
| 2003 | 21.5 °C |
| 2004 | 21.7 °C |
| 2005 | 22.5 °C |
| 2006 | 22.1 °C |
| 2007 | 23.2 °C |
| 2008 | 22.1 °C |
| 2009 | 21.4 °C |
| 2010 | 23.9 °C |
| 2011 | 23.1 °C |
| 2012 | 23.2 °C |
| 2013 | 21.7 °C |
| 2014 | 21.5 °C |
| 2015 | 21.9 °C |
| 2017 | 22.0 °C |
| 2019 | 22.1 °C |
| 2020 | 20.7 °C |
| 2021 | 21.0 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1965, Princeton's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. The frost-free season has grown by about 1 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Princeton 1 Se (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.