When to plant in Saint Francis, MN
Planting dates worked out from Saint Francis's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 21
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 10
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Sep 30
1 year in 10 by Sep 21
Frost-free days
145
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Cedar · 9.3 km away · station 276 m, town 280 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 26 – Apr 9 | May 21 – Jun 4 | Jul 15 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 12 – Mar 26 | May 21 – Jun 4 | Jul 20 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 8 – Mar 15 | Apr 12 – Apr 26 | May 22 |
| Peas | — | Apr 9 – May 7 | Jun 3 |
| Bush beans | — | May 14 – Jun 4 | Jul 3 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 19 – May 31 | Jun 18 |
| Beet | — | Apr 18 – May 30 | Jun 7 |
| Potato | — | Apr 19 – May 10 | Jun 28 |
| Kale | Mar 5 – Mar 19 | Apr 16 – Apr 30 | May 29 |
| Broccoli | Mar 1 – Mar 15 | Apr 12 – May 3 | Jun 11 |
| Cucumber | Apr 23 – Apr 30 | May 21 – Jun 4 | Jul 10 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 23 – Apr 30 | May 21 – Jun 4 | Jul 5 |
| Winter squash | Apr 23 – Apr 30 | May 21 – Jun 4 | Aug 9 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 14 – Jun 4 | Jul 13 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 12 – May 3 | Jul 11 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 16 – Oct 14 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 9 – May 7 | May 17 |
| Basil | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | May 21 – Jun 4 | Jul 17 |
Saint Francis'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 |
|---|---|
| 1963 | May 23 |
| 1965 | May 29 |
| 1966 | May 10 |
| 1967 | May 21 |
| 1968 | May 5 |
| 1969 | Jun 13 |
| 1970 | May 2 |
| 1971 | May 27 |
| 1972 | May 3 |
| 1973 | May 17 |
| 1974 | May 25 |
| 1975 | Apr 21 |
| 1976 | May 8 |
| 1977 | May 2 |
| 1978 | May 2 |
| 1979 | May 25 |
| 1980 | May 15 |
| 1981 | May 19 |
| 1982 | May 7 |
| 1984 | May 1 |
| 1985 | Apr 9 |
| 1986 | May 21 |
| 1987 | Apr 28 |
| 1988 | May 17 |
| 1989 | May 9 |
| 1990 | May 11 |
| 1991 | May 6 |
| 1992 | Jun 21 |
| 1993 | May 13 |
| 1994 | May 6 |
| 1995 | Apr 28 |
| 1996 | May 13 |
| 1997 | May 21 |
| 1998 | Apr 29 |
| 1999 | Apr 24 |
| 2000 | May 19 |
| 2001 | Apr 25 |
| 2002 | May 20 |
| 2003 | Apr 22 |
| 2004 | May 15 |
| 2005 | May 4 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1963 | 156 |
| 1965 | 119 |
| 1966 | 138 |
| 1967 | 125 |
| 1968 | 146 |
| 1969 | 87 |
| 1970 | 148 |
| 1971 | 114 |
| 1972 | 141 |
| 1973 | 125 |
| 1974 | 98 |
| 1975 | 155 |
| 1976 | 136 |
| 1977 | 152 |
| 1978 | 158 |
| 1979 | 134 |
| 1980 | 130 |
| 1981 | 131 |
| 1982 | 136 |
| 1985 | 168 |
| 1986 | 137 |
| 1987 | 157 |
| 1988 | 138 |
| 1989 | 136 |
| 1990 | 141 |
| 1991 | 136 |
| 1992 | 99 |
| 1993 | 141 |
| 1994 | 156 |
| 1995 | 145 |
| 1996 | 142 |
| 1997 | 145 |
| 1998 | 155 |
| 1999 | 149 |
| 2000 | 127 |
| 2001 | 152 |
| 2002 | 139 |
| 2003 | 159 |
| 2004 | 139 |
| 2005 | 155 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1963 | 17.0 °C |
| 1965 | 15.2 °C |
| 1966 | 15.9 °C |
| 1967 | 15.4 °C |
| 1968 | 16.3 °C |
| 1969 | 16.8 °C |
| 1970 | 16.9 °C |
| 1971 | 16.3 °C |
| 1972 | 15.9 °C |
| 1973 | 16.6 °C |
| 1974 | 16.1 °C |
| 1975 | 16.3 °C |
| 1976 | 17.9 °C |
| 1977 | 18.2 °C |
| 1978 | 17.2 °C |
| 1979 | 15.7 °C |
| 1980 | 17.3 °C |
| 1981 | 16.3 °C |
| 1982 | 16.2 °C |
| 1986 | 17.1 °C |
| 1988 | 18.4 °C |
| 1989 | 16.3 °C |
| 1990 | 16.4 °C |
| 1991 | 17.2 °C |
| 1992 | 15.1 °C |
| 1993 | 15.0 °C |
| 1995 | 16.2 °C |
| 1996 | 15.3 °C |
| 1997 | 15.7 °C |
| 1998 | 17.7 °C |
| 1999 | 17.0 °C |
| 2000 | 16.4 °C |
| 2001 | 17.0 °C |
| 2002 | 16.6 °C |
| 2003 | 16.5 °C |
| 2004 | 15.9 °C |
| 2005 | 17.6 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1963, Saint Francis's last spring frost has come about 3 days 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 Cedar (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.