When to plant in Le Center, MN

Planting dates worked out from Le Center's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.

Safe to plant out

May 15

1 year in 10 has a later frost

Average last frost

May 1

about a 50% chance of a later one

Average first fall frost

Oct 4

1 year in 10 by Sep 20

Frost-free days

153

median, 1991–2020

Station used: St Peter · 20.2 km away · station 242 m, town 323 m. How we match towns to stations

This season

Plan your garden.

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Planting dates for common crops

Crop	Start indoors	Plant out or sow	Harvest from
Tomato	Mar 20 – Apr 3	May 15 – May 29	Jul 9
Sweet pepper	Mar 6 – Mar 20	May 15 – May 29	Jul 14
Lettuce (leaf)	Mar 6 – Mar 13	Apr 10 – Apr 24	May 20
Peas	—	Apr 10 – May 8	Jun 4
Bush beans	—	May 8 – May 29	Jun 27
Carrot	—	Apr 20 – Jun 1	Jun 19
Beet	—	Apr 20 – Jun 1	Jun 9
Potato	—	Apr 20 – May 11	Jun 29
Kale	Mar 6 – Mar 20	Apr 17 – May 1	May 30
Broccoli	Feb 27 – Mar 13	Apr 10 – May 1	Jun 9
Cucumber	Apr 17 – Apr 24	May 15 – May 29	Jul 4
Summer squash and zucchini	Apr 17 – Apr 24	May 15 – May 29	Jun 29
Winter squash	Apr 17 – Apr 24	May 15 – May 29	Aug 3
Sweet corn	—	May 8 – May 29	Jul 7
Onion (from sets)	—	Apr 10 – May 1	Jul 9
Garlic	—	Sep 20 – Oct 18 (fall)	following summer
Spinach	—	Apr 10 – May 8	May 18
Basil	Apr 3 – Apr 17	May 15 – May 29	Jul 11

Plan all 65 crops for Le Center

Le Center'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
1894	May 19
1895	May 21
1899	May 13
1900	May 4
1901	May 23
1902	Apr 24
1904	May 10
1905	May 26
1907	May 27
1908	May 3
1909	May 10
1910	May 14
1911	May 5
1912	Apr 27
1914	May 15
1916	May 2
1918	May 13
1919	May 2
1920	May 14
1921	May 16
1922	Apr 28
1923	May 13
1924	May 21
1925	May 25
1926	May 14
1927	Apr 24
1928	May 12
1929	May 19
1930	May 17
1931	May 8
1932	Apr 27
1933	Apr 27
1934	May 15
1935	Apr 30
1936	Apr 26
1937	May 14
1938	Apr 22
1939	May 12
1940	May 3
1941	Apr 24
1942	May 16
1943	May 14
1944	May 6
1945	Jun 3
1946	May 12
1947	May 9
1948	Apr 13
1949	Apr 19
1950	May 1
1951	Apr 26
1952	Apr 24
1953	May 13
1954	May 20
1955	May 8
1957	May 4
1958	Apr 29
1959	Apr 22
1960	May 12
1961	May 3
1962	Apr 19
1963	May 24
1964	Apr 15
1965	Apr 29
1966	May 11
1967	May 20
1968	May 10
1969	May 12
1970	May 2
1971	May 3
1972	Apr 25
1973	May 4
1974	May 6
1975	Apr 22
1976	May 8
1977	Apr 7
1978	May 2
1979	May 12
1980	Apr 16
1981	May 10
1982	Apr 29
1983	May 15
1984	May 1
1985	Apr 9
1986	Apr 22
1987	Apr 23
1988	May 15
1989	May 7
1990	May 2
1991	Apr 24
1992	Apr 27
1993	Apr 20
1995	May 2
1996	May 2
1997	May 15
1998	Apr 18
2000	May 15
2001	Apr 24
2002	May 3
2003	Apr 10
2004	May 15
2007	Apr 16
2008	Apr 30
2010	May 10
2011	May 4
2012	Apr 24
2013	May 13
2014	Apr 25
2015	Apr 24
2016	May 15
2017	May 4
2018	Apr 28
2019	May 3
2020	May 13
2021	May 12
2022	Apr 28
2023	May 4
2024	Apr 24
2025	May 3
2026	May 11

Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Frost-free days
1894	114
1895	127
1899	135
1900	145
1901	119
1902	141
1904	133
1905	137
1908	147
1909	154
1911	156
1912	151
1914	151
1916	137
1918	128
1919	160
1920	139
1921	139
1922	163
1923	122
1924	131
1925	133
1926	133
1927	151
1928	133
1929	121
1930	133
1931	161
1932	154
1933	160
1934	128
1935	149
1936	158
1937	124
1938	180
1939	136
1940	157
1941	172
1942	130
1943	125
1945	116
1947	135
1948	179
1949	162
1950	145
1951	154
1952	163
1953	131
1954	139
1955	152
1957	158
1958	154
1959	171
1960	159
1961	147
1962	186
1963	157
1964	172
1965	149
1966	142
1967	130
1968	146
1969	153
1970	160
1971	180
1972	157
1973	178
1974	119
1975	162
1976	138
1977	177
1979	145
1980	184
1981	140
1982	169
1983	130
1984	147
1985	169
1986	166
1987	161
1989	138
1990	160
1991	148
1992	154
1993	164
1996	153
1997	151
1998	177
2000	131
2001	163
2004	141
2007	151
2008	168
2010	164
2011	133
2012	151
2013	153
2014	162
2015	174
2016	145
2017	158
2018	153
2019	161
2020	141
2021	162
2022	136
2023	158
2024	172

Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Growing-season temperature
1894	18.1 °C
1895	18.1 °C
1899	16.9 °C
1901	18.3 °C
1902	16.4 °C
1904	16.0 °C
1905	17.0 °C
1908	17.6 °C
1909	16.7 °C
1910	17.0 °C
1911	18.2 °C
1912	16.7 °C
1914	18.3 °C
1918	17.1 °C
1919	18.0 °C
1920	17.7 °C
1921	19.8 °C
1922	18.7 °C
1923	18.1 °C
1924	15.8 °C
1925	18.4 °C
1926	17.6 °C
1927	16.6 °C
1928	16.5 °C
1929	16.6 °C
1930	17.9 °C
1931	18.6 °C
1932	17.8 °C
1933	18.6 °C
1934	18.6 °C
1935	17.2 °C
1936	18.6 °C
1937	18.1 °C
1938	18.3 °C
1939	18.7 °C
1940	17.3 °C
1941	19.1 °C
1942	17.4 °C
1943	16.7 °C
1945	16.4 °C
1946	17.9 °C
1947	18.0 °C
1948	19.2 °C
1949	19.4 °C
1950	16.5 °C
1951	16.3 °C
1952	18.1 °C
1953	17.6 °C
1954	17.7 °C
1955	19.7 °C
1957	17.5 °C
1958	17.2 °C
1959	18.6 °C
1960	17.6 °C
1961	16.7 °C
1962	17.1 °C
1963	17.0 °C
1964	16.9 °C
1965	15.9 °C
1966	16.0 °C
1967	15.6 °C
1968	16.7 °C
1969	17.2 °C
1970	17.3 °C
1971	16.9 °C
1972	16.6 °C
1973	17.0 °C
1974	16.5 °C
1975	16.7 °C
1976	17.9 °C
1977	18.0 °C
1979	15.6 °C
1980	18.7 °C
1981	16.9 °C
1982	16.6 °C
1985	17.5 °C
1986	18.4 °C
1989	17.9 °C
1990	17.9 °C
1991	18.5 °C
1992	15.5 °C
1993	15.7 °C
1996	15.8 °C
1997	16.1 °C
1998	18.1 °C
2001	17.2 °C
2002	16.7 °C
2004	16.4 °C
2007	18.2 °C
2008	16.7 °C
2010	17.9 °C
2011	17.0 °C
2012	18.0 °C
2013	16.1 °C
2014	16.4 °C
2015	17.0 °C
2016	17.4 °C
2017	16.7 °C
2018	16.8 °C
2019	16.3 °C
2020	16.8 °C
2021	17.6 °C
2022	16.4 °C
2023	17.6 °C
2024	17.4 °C

What this means for you: Since 1894, Le Center's last spring frost has come about 1 day 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 St Peter (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.

Nearby towns

Montgomery Le Sueur Saint Peter New Prague Madison Lake Waterville