When to plant in Lester Prairie, MN
Planting dates worked out from Lester Prairie's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 16
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 30
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Sep 30
1 year in 10 by Sep 21
Frost-free days
153
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Hutchinson 1 N · 25.8 km away · station 334 m, town 299 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 21 – Apr 4 | May 16 – May 30 | Jul 10 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | May 16 – May 30 | Jul 15 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 6 – Mar 13 | Apr 10 – Apr 24 | May 20 |
| Peas | — | Apr 10 – May 8 | Jun 4 |
| Bush beans | — | May 9 – May 30 | Jun 28 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 19 – May 31 | Jun 18 |
| Beet | — | Apr 19 – May 31 | Jun 8 |
| Potato | — | Apr 19 – May 10 | Jun 28 |
| Kale | Mar 6 – Mar 20 | Apr 17 – May 1 | May 30 |
| Broccoli | Feb 27 – Mar 13 | Apr 10 – May 1 | Jun 9 |
| Cucumber | Apr 18 – Apr 25 | May 16 – May 30 | Jul 5 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 18 – Apr 25 | May 16 – May 30 | Jun 30 |
| Winter squash | Apr 18 – Apr 25 | May 16 – May 30 | Aug 4 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 9 – May 30 | Jul 8 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 10 – May 1 | Jul 9 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 16 – Oct 14 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 10 – May 8 | May 18 |
| Basil | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | May 16 – May 30 | Jul 12 |
Lester Prairie'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 |
|---|---|
| 1895 | May 18 |
| 1896 | Apr 20 |
| 1897 | May 30 |
| 1898 | Apr 25 |
| 1899 | May 12 |
| 1900 | May 3 |
| 1901 | May 12 |
| 1917 | May 22 |
| 1918 | May 14 |
| 1919 | May 5 |
| 1920 | May 3 |
| 1958 | Apr 29 |
| 1959 | May 15 |
| 1960 | May 9 |
| 1961 | May 2 |
| 1962 | Apr 23 |
| 1963 | May 22 |
| 1964 | Apr 15 |
| 1965 | Apr 28 |
| 1966 | May 10 |
| 1967 | May 21 |
| 1968 | May 5 |
| 1969 | Apr 28 |
| 1970 | May 2 |
| 1971 | May 12 |
| 1972 | Apr 25 |
| 1973 | May 14 |
| 1974 | May 15 |
| 1975 | Apr 21 |
| 1976 | May 7 |
| 1977 | Apr 8 |
| 1978 | May 3 |
| 1979 | May 21 |
| 1980 | May 15 |
| 1981 | May 11 |
| 1982 | Apr 21 |
| 1983 | Apr 29 |
| 1984 | May 1 |
| 1985 | Apr 9 |
| 1986 | Apr 22 |
| 1987 | Apr 6 |
| 1988 | Apr 24 |
| 1989 | May 6 |
| 1990 | May 11 |
| 1991 | Apr 24 |
| 1992 | Apr 28 |
| 1993 | Apr 26 |
| 1994 | Apr 30 |
| 1995 | Apr 27 |
| 1996 | May 12 |
| 1997 | May 14 |
| 1998 | May 1 |
| 1999 | Apr 24 |
| 2000 | Apr 20 |
| 2001 | Apr 17 |
| 2002 | May 19 |
| 2003 | Apr 17 |
| 2004 | May 15 |
| 2005 | May 4 |
| 2006 | Apr 8 |
| 2007 | May 20 |
| 2008 | Apr 30 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1895 | 133 |
| 1896 | 126 |
| 1897 | 130 |
| 1898 | 162 |
| 1899 | 137 |
| 1900 | 135 |
| 1901 | 130 |
| 1917 | 136 |
| 1918 | 125 |
| 1919 | 157 |
| 1920 | 150 |
| 1958 | 154 |
| 1959 | 146 |
| 1960 | 161 |
| 1961 | 145 |
| 1962 | 149 |
| 1963 | 159 |
| 1964 | 152 |
| 1965 | 150 |
| 1966 | 143 |
| 1967 | 128 |
| 1969 | 166 |
| 1970 | 160 |
| 1971 | 129 |
| 1972 | 156 |
| 1973 | 128 |
| 1974 | 110 |
| 1975 | 143 |
| 1976 | 138 |
| 1977 | 177 |
| 1978 | 162 |
| 1979 | 140 |
| 1980 | 130 |
| 1981 | 139 |
| 1982 | 177 |
| 1983 | 146 |
| 1984 | 147 |
| 1985 | 169 |
| 1986 | 169 |
| 1987 | 179 |
| 1988 | 162 |
| 1989 | 142 |
| 1990 | 150 |
| 1991 | 147 |
| 1992 | 153 |
| 1993 | 153 |
| 1994 | 162 |
| 1995 | 147 |
| 1996 | 142 |
| 1997 | 151 |
| 1998 | 163 |
| 1999 | 159 |
| 2000 | 155 |
| 2001 | 159 |
| 2002 | 126 |
| 2003 | 165 |
| 2004 | 139 |
| 2005 | 155 |
| 2007 | 117 |
| 2008 | 167 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1895 | 17.3 °C |
| 1896 | 16.1 °C |
| 1897 | 16.2 °C |
| 1898 | 16.6 °C |
| 1899 | 16.2 °C |
| 1900 | 17.9 °C |
| 1901 | 17.6 °C |
| 1917 | 14.5 °C |
| 1918 | 15.1 °C |
| 1919 | 16.6 °C |
| 1920 | 15.5 °C |
| 1958 | 16.8 °C |
| 1959 | 18.1 °C |
| 1960 | 17.0 °C |
| 1961 | 16.3 °C |
| 1962 | 16.1 °C |
| 1963 | 17.4 °C |
| 1964 | 18.0 °C |
| 1965 | 16.0 °C |
| 1966 | 16.4 °C |
| 1967 | 16.0 °C |
| 1969 | 17.5 °C |
| 1970 | 18.0 °C |
| 1971 | 17.2 °C |
| 1972 | 16.5 °C |
| 1973 | 17.3 °C |
| 1974 | 16.4 °C |
| 1975 | 16.5 °C |
| 1977 | 18.6 °C |
| 1978 | 17.1 °C |
| 1979 | 16.2 °C |
| 1980 | 18.6 °C |
| 1981 | 18.1 °C |
| 1982 | 17.0 °C |
| 1983 | 17.3 °C |
| 1984 | 17.1 °C |
| 1985 | 17.3 °C |
| 1986 | 17.0 °C |
| 1987 | 18.4 °C |
| 1988 | 18.6 °C |
| 1989 | 16.4 °C |
| 1990 | 16.3 °C |
| 1991 | 17.4 °C |
| 1992 | 14.8 °C |
| 1993 | 15.2 °C |
| 1994 | 16.6 °C |
| 1995 | 16.2 °C |
| 1996 | 15.8 °C |
| 1997 | 16.4 °C |
| 1998 | 18.2 °C |
| 1999 | 16.9 °C |
| 2000 | 17.3 °C |
| 2001 | 17.7 °C |
| 2002 | 17.4 °C |
| 2003 | 17.2 °C |
| 2004 | 16.3 °C |
| 2005 | 18.1 °C |
| 2006 | 18.0 °C |
| 2007 | 17.6 °C |
| 2008 | 16.2 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1895, Lester Prairie's last spring frost has come about 1 day earlier per decade, on average. 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 Hutchinson 1 N (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.