When to plant in Des Peres, MO
Planting dates worked out from Des Peres's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 29
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 9
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 23
1 year in 10 by Oct 5
Frost-free days
198
median, 1991–2020
Station used: St Charles 7 Ssw · 12.2 km away · station 137 m, town 186 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 4 – Mar 18 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 23 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 18 – Mar 4 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 28 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 5 – Feb 12 | Mar 12 – Mar 26 | Apr 21 |
| Peas | — | Mar 12 – Apr 9 | May 6 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 22 – May 13 | Jun 11 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 21 – May 2 | May 20 |
| Beet | — | Mar 21 – May 2 | May 10 |
| Potato | — | Mar 21 – Apr 11 | May 30 |
| Kale | Feb 5 – Feb 19 | Mar 19 – Apr 2 | May 1 |
| Broccoli | Jan 29 – Feb 12 | Mar 12 – Apr 2 | May 11 |
| Cucumber | Apr 1 – Apr 8 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 18 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 1 – Apr 8 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 13 |
| Winter squash | Apr 1 – Apr 8 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jul 18 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 22 – May 13 | Jun 21 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 12 – Apr 2 | Jun 10 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 9 – Nov 6 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 12 – Apr 9 | Apr 19 |
| Basil | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 25 |
Des Peres'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 |
|---|---|
| 1975 | Apr 13 |
| 1976 | May 3 |
| 1977 | Mar 22 |
| 1979 | Apr 7 |
| 1980 | Apr 15 |
| 1981 | Apr 6 |
| 1982 | Apr 21 |
| 1983 | Apr 19 |
| 1984 | Apr 2 |
| 1985 | Apr 9 |
| 1986 | Apr 22 |
| 1987 | Apr 5 |
| 1988 | Apr 17 |
| 1989 | Apr 13 |
| 1990 | Apr 18 |
| 1991 | Mar 31 |
| 1992 | May 7 |
| 1993 | Apr 22 |
| 1994 | Apr 8 |
| 1995 | Apr 28 |
| 1996 | Apr 30 |
| 1997 | May 22 |
| 1998 | Mar 26 |
| 1999 | Mar 27 |
| 2000 | Apr 8 |
| 2001 | Apr 1 |
| 2002 | Apr 6 |
| 2003 | Apr 10 |
| 2004 | Mar 22 |
| 2005 | Mar 20 |
| 2006 | Mar 27 |
| 2007 | Apr 15 |
| 2009 | Apr 8 |
| 2010 | Mar 27 |
| 2011 | Mar 29 |
| 2012 | Mar 10 |
| 2015 | Apr 5 |
| 2016 | Apr 10 |
| 2018 | Apr 18 |
| 2019 | Apr 16 |
| 2020 | Apr 18 |
| 2021 | Apr 21 |
| 2022 | Apr 19 |
| 2023 | Mar 30 |
| 2024 | Mar 29 |
| 2025 | Apr 8 |
| 2026 | Mar 28 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1975 | 195 |
| 1976 | 166 |
| 1977 | 204 |
| 1979 | 185 |
| 1980 | 172 |
| 1981 | 199 |
| 1982 | 182 |
| 1983 | 156 |
| 1984 | 181 |
| 1985 | 175 |
| 1986 | 201 |
| 1987 | 185 |
| 1988 | 178 |
| 1990 | 175 |
| 1991 | 174 |
| 1993 | 170 |
| 1994 | 199 |
| 1995 | 147 |
| 1996 | 161 |
| 1997 | 152 |
| 1998 | 225 |
| 1999 | 210 |
| 2000 | 181 |
| 2001 | 198 |
| 2002 | 208 |
| 2003 | 210 |
| 2004 | 193 |
| 2005 | 234 |
| 2006 | 199 |
| 2007 | 196 |
| 2009 | 192 |
| 2010 | 220 |
| 2011 | 226 |
| 2012 | 231 |
| 2016 | 216 |
| 2018 | 185 |
| 2019 | 197 |
| 2020 | 197 |
| 2021 | 196 |
| 2022 | 181 |
| 2023 | 213 |
| 2024 | 241 |
| 2025 | 215 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1975 | 20.9 °C |
| 1976 | 20.3 °C |
| 1977 | 22.4 °C |
| 1979 | 20.1 °C |
| 1980 | 22.0 °C |
| 1981 | 21.1 °C |
| 1983 | 21.1 °C |
| 1984 | 19.9 °C |
| 1985 | 20.6 °C |
| 1986 | 21.8 °C |
| 1987 | 22.0 °C |
| 1988 | 21.4 °C |
| 1989 | 19.9 °C |
| 1990 | 20.5 °C |
| 1991 | 21.4 °C |
| 1992 | 18.6 °C |
| 1994 | 19.6 °C |
| 1995 | 19.8 °C |
| 1996 | 19.1 °C |
| 1997 | 19.2 °C |
| 1998 | 22.2 °C |
| 1999 | 21.3 °C |
| 2000 | 21.1 °C |
| 2001 | 21.7 °C |
| 2002 | 21.8 °C |
| 2003 | 20.5 °C |
| 2004 | 20.5 °C |
| 2005 | 22.0 °C |
| 2006 | 21.6 °C |
| 2007 | 21.9 °C |
| 2008 | 20.7 °C |
| 2009 | 20.2 °C |
| 2010 | 22.8 °C |
| 2011 | 21.6 °C |
| 2012 | 22.5 °C |
| 2015 | 21.8 °C |
| 2016 | 22.2 °C |
| 2018 | 22.5 °C |
| 2019 | 22.2 °C |
| 2020 | 21.4 °C |
| 2021 | 21.9 °C |
| 2022 | 22.0 °C |
| 2023 | 21.9 °C |
| 2024 | 22.6 °C |
| 2025 | 22.2 °C |
| 2026 | 22.8 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1975, Des Peres's last spring frost has come about 2 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 7 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from St Charles 7 Ssw (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.