When to plant in Nicollet, MN
Planting dates worked out from Nicollet's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 13
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
Oct 1
1 year in 10 by Sep 20
Frost-free days
153
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Mankato · 19.0 km away · station 259 m, town 300 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 18 – Apr 1 | May 13 – May 27 | Jul 7 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 4 – Mar 18 | May 13 – May 27 | Jul 12 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 4 – Mar 11 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | May 18 |
| Peas | — | Apr 8 – May 6 | Jun 2 |
| Bush beans | — | May 6 – May 27 | Jun 25 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 17 – May 29 | Jun 16 |
| Beet | — | Apr 17 – May 29 | Jun 6 |
| Potato | — | Apr 17 – May 8 | Jun 26 |
| Kale | Mar 4 – Mar 18 | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | May 28 |
| Broccoli | Feb 25 – Mar 11 | Apr 8 – Apr 29 | Jun 7 |
| Cucumber | Apr 15 – Apr 22 | May 13 – May 27 | Jul 2 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 15 – Apr 22 | May 13 – May 27 | Jun 27 |
| Winter squash | Apr 15 – Apr 22 | May 13 – May 27 | Aug 1 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 6 – May 27 | Jul 5 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 8 – Apr 29 | Jul 7 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 17 – Oct 15 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 8 – May 6 | May 16 |
| Basil | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | May 13 – May 27 | Jul 9 |
Nicollet'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 |
|---|---|
| 1987 | Apr 24 |
| 1988 | Apr 29 |
| 1989 | May 7 |
| 1990 | May 11 |
| 1991 | Apr 25 |
| 1992 | Apr 28 |
| 1993 | Apr 26 |
| 1994 | May 2 |
| 1995 | May 2 |
| 1996 | May 2 |
| 1997 | May 13 |
| 1998 | Apr 27 |
| 1999 | Apr 18 |
| 2000 | Apr 22 |
| 2001 | Apr 25 |
| 2002 | May 4 |
| 2003 | Apr 22 |
| 2004 | May 15 |
| 2005 | May 5 |
| 2006 | Apr 26 |
| 2007 | Apr 15 |
| 2008 | Apr 30 |
| 2009 | May 17 |
| 2010 | May 10 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1987 | 161 |
| 1988 | 157 |
| 1989 | 138 |
| 1990 | 151 |
| 1991 | 147 |
| 1992 | 153 |
| 1993 | 158 |
| 1994 | 160 |
| 1995 | 142 |
| 1996 | 153 |
| 1997 | 153 |
| 1998 | 168 |
| 1999 | 155 |
| 2000 | 155 |
| 2001 | 152 |
| 2002 | 155 |
| 2003 | 159 |
| 2004 | 139 |
| 2005 | 155 |
| 2006 | 146 |
| 2007 | 152 |
| 2008 | 168 |
| 2009 | 144 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1987 | 19.4 °C |
| 1988 | 19.4 °C |
| 1989 | 17.2 °C |
| 1990 | 17.3 °C |
| 1991 | 18.1 °C |
| 1992 | 15.4 °C |
| 1993 | 15.6 °C |
| 1994 | 16.8 °C |
| 1995 | 16.7 °C |
| 1996 | 15.6 °C |
| 1997 | 16.0 °C |
| 1998 | 18.1 °C |
| 1999 | 17.3 °C |
| 2000 | 16.8 °C |
| 2001 | 17.5 °C |
| 2002 | 17.1 °C |
| 2003 | 16.9 °C |
| 2004 | 16.2 °C |
| 2005 | 17.9 °C |
| 2006 | 17.7 °C |
| 2007 | 17.8 °C |
| 2008 | 16.4 °C |
| 2009 | 16.1 °C |
| 2010 | 17.9 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Mankato (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.