When to plant in Columbia, MO
Planting dates worked out from Columbia's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 19
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 5
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 28
1 year in 10 by Oct 14
Frost-free days
207
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Columbia U Of M · 1.6 km away · station 235 m, town 215 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 | Feb 22 – Mar 8 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 13 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 8 – Feb 22 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 18 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 1 – Feb 8 | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | Apr 17 |
| Peas | — | Mar 8 – Apr 5 | May 2 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 12 – May 3 | Jun 1 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 17 – Apr 28 | May 16 |
| Beet | — | Mar 17 – Apr 28 | May 6 |
| Potato | — | Mar 17 – Apr 7 | May 26 |
| Kale | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Mar 15 – Mar 29 | Apr 27 |
| Broccoli | Jan 25 – Feb 8 | Mar 8 – Mar 29 | May 7 |
| Cucumber | Mar 22 – Mar 29 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 8 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 22 – Mar 29 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 3 |
| Winter squash | Mar 22 – Mar 29 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jul 8 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 12 – May 3 | Jun 11 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 8 – Mar 29 | Jun 6 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 14 – Nov 11 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 8 – Apr 5 | Apr 15 |
| Basil | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 15 |
Columbia'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 |
|---|---|
| 1997 | Apr 14 |
| 1998 | Mar 24 |
| 1999 | Mar 26 |
| 2000 | Apr 8 |
| 2001 | Apr 18 |
| 2002 | Apr 5 |
| 2003 | Apr 10 |
| 2004 | Mar 22 |
| 2005 | Mar 28 |
| 2006 | Mar 26 |
| 2007 | Apr 9 |
| 2008 | Apr 29 |
| 2009 | Apr 7 |
| 2010 | Mar 26 |
| 2011 | Mar 28 |
| 2012 | Mar 9 |
| 2013 | Apr 20 |
| 2014 | Apr 15 |
| 2015 | Apr 4 |
| 2016 | Apr 9 |
| 2017 | Mar 16 |
| 2018 | Apr 19 |
| 2019 | Apr 1 |
| 2020 | Apr 18 |
| 2021 | Apr 22 |
| 2022 | Apr 19 |
| 2023 | Mar 20 |
| 2024 | Apr 5 |
| 2025 | Apr 8 |
| 2026 | Mar 28 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 190 |
| 1998 | 240 |
| 1999 | 205 |
| 2000 | 181 |
| 2001 | 181 |
| 2002 | 209 |
| 2003 | 209 |
| 2004 | 234 |
| 2005 | 211 |
| 2006 | 200 |
| 2007 | 205 |
| 2008 | 181 |
| 2009 | 185 |
| 2010 | 216 |
| 2011 | 213 |
| 2012 | 231 |
| 2013 | 186 |
| 2014 | 198 |
| 2015 | 217 |
| 2016 | 223 |
| 2017 | 225 |
| 2018 | 179 |
| 2019 | 211 |
| 2020 | 190 |
| 2021 | 194 |
| 2022 | 180 |
| 2023 | 223 |
| 2024 | 193 |
| 2025 | 207 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 20.2 °C |
| 1998 | 22.2 °C |
| 1999 | 21.7 °C |
| 2000 | 21.7 °C |
| 2001 | 21.9 °C |
| 2002 | 21.8 °C |
| 2003 | 21.0 °C |
| 2004 | 20.5 °C |
| 2005 | 22.2 °C |
| 2006 | 22.1 °C |
| 2007 | 22.2 °C |
| 2008 | 20.3 °C |
| 2009 | 20.3 °C |
| 2010 | 22.5 °C |
| 2011 | 21.9 °C |
| 2012 | 23.0 °C |
| 2013 | 20.9 °C |
| 2014 | 21.0 °C |
| 2015 | 21.7 °C |
| 2016 | 22.1 °C |
| 2017 | 21.7 °C |
| 2018 | 22.5 °C |
| 2019 | 21.9 °C |
| 2020 | 20.7 °C |
| 2021 | 21.5 °C |
| 2022 | 21.8 °C |
| 2023 | 22.0 °C |
| 2024 | 22.1 °C |
| 2025 | 21.9 °C |
| 2026 | 22.8 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1997, Columbia's last spring frost has come about 1 day later per decade, on average. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Columbia U Of M (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.