When to plant in Gray Summit, MO
Planting dates worked out from Gray Summit's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 28
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 14
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 18
1 year in 10 by Oct 6
Frost-free days
188
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Union · 17.1 km away · station 165 m, town 203 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 3 – Mar 17 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 22 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 17 – Mar 3 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 27 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 10 – Feb 17 | Mar 17 – Mar 31 | Apr 26 |
| Peas | — | Mar 4 – Apr 1 | Apr 28 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 21 – May 12 | Jun 10 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 24 – May 5 | May 23 |
| Beet | — | Mar 17 – Apr 28 | May 6 |
| Potato | — | Mar 24 – Apr 14 | Jun 2 |
| Kale | Feb 3 – Feb 17 | Mar 17 – Mar 31 | Apr 29 |
| Broccoli | Feb 3 – Feb 17 | Mar 17 – Apr 7 | May 16 |
| Cucumber | Mar 31 – Apr 7 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 17 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 31 – Apr 7 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 12 |
| Winter squash | Mar 31 – Apr 7 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jul 17 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 21 – May 12 | Jun 20 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 17 – Apr 7 | Jun 15 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 4 – Nov 1 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 4 – Apr 1 | Apr 11 |
| Basil | Mar 17 – Mar 31 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 24 |
Gray Summit'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 |
|---|---|
| 1938 | Apr 10 |
| 1939 | Apr 22 |
| 1940 | Apr 21 |
| 1941 | Apr 6 |
| 1942 | Apr 20 |
| 1943 | Apr 21 |
| 1944 | May 7 |
| 1945 | Apr 19 |
| 1946 | Apr 27 |
| 1947 | Apr 17 |
| 1948 | Apr 9 |
| 1949 | Apr 19 |
| 1950 | Apr 26 |
| 1951 | Apr 23 |
| 1952 | Apr 17 |
| 1953 | Apr 20 |
| 1954 | May 10 |
| 1955 | Apr 9 |
| 1956 | Apr 24 |
| 1957 | Apr 14 |
| 1958 | May 7 |
| 1959 | Apr 23 |
| 1960 | May 12 |
| 1961 | May 2 |
| 1962 | Apr 16 |
| 1963 | May 1 |
| 1964 | Apr 9 |
| 1965 | Mar 31 |
| 1966 | May 10 |
| 1967 | May 3 |
| 1968 | Apr 25 |
| 1969 | Apr 29 |
| 1970 | Apr 7 |
| 1971 | Apr 15 |
| 1972 | Apr 26 |
| 1973 | May 17 |
| 1974 | Apr 24 |
| 1975 | Apr 20 |
| 1976 | May 9 |
| 1977 | Apr 26 |
| 1978 | May 2 |
| 1979 | May 5 |
| 1980 | May 9 |
| 1981 | Apr 6 |
| 1982 | Apr 23 |
| 1983 | Apr 25 |
| 1984 | Apr 19 |
| 1985 | Apr 9 |
| 1986 | Apr 23 |
| 1987 | Apr 12 |
| 1988 | Apr 29 |
| 1989 | May 7 |
| 1990 | Apr 18 |
| 1991 | Mar 31 |
| 1992 | May 6 |
| 1993 | Apr 22 |
| 1994 | Apr 7 |
| 1995 | Apr 28 |
| 1996 | Apr 10 |
| 1997 | Apr 18 |
| 1998 | Apr 11 |
| 1999 | Mar 27 |
| 2000 | Apr 13 |
| 2001 | Apr 18 |
| 2002 | Apr 6 |
| 2003 | Apr 11 |
| 2004 | Apr 14 |
| 2005 | Apr 3 |
| 2006 | Apr 9 |
| 2007 | Apr 15 |
| 2008 | Apr 29 |
| 2009 | Apr 11 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1938 | 195 |
| 1939 | 161 |
| 1940 | 157 |
| 1941 | 204 |
| 1942 | 160 |
| 1944 | 157 |
| 1945 | 172 |
| 1946 | 156 |
| 1947 | 202 |
| 1948 | 177 |
| 1949 | 163 |
| 1950 | 161 |
| 1952 | 168 |
| 1953 | 155 |
| 1954 | 161 |
| 1955 | 189 |
| 1957 | 168 |
| 1958 | 146 |
| 1959 | 177 |
| 1960 | 160 |
| 1961 | 152 |
| 1962 | 190 |
| 1963 | 181 |
| 1964 | 179 |
| 1965 | 194 |
| 1966 | 148 |
| 1967 | 160 |
| 1968 | 161 |
| 1969 | 168 |
| 1970 | 191 |
| 1972 | 175 |
| 1973 | 167 |
| 1974 | 160 |
| 1975 | 164 |
| 1976 | 153 |
| 1977 | 169 |
| 1978 | 157 |
| 1979 | 152 |
| 1980 | 148 |
| 1981 | 179 |
| 1982 | 180 |
| 1983 | 150 |
| 1984 | 163 |
| 1985 | 174 |
| 1986 | 174 |
| 1987 | 173 |
| 1988 | 158 |
| 1989 | 139 |
| 1990 | 175 |
| 1991 | 189 |
| 1992 | 163 |
| 1993 | 170 |
| 1994 | 186 |
| 1995 | 147 |
| 1996 | 191 |
| 1997 | 181 |
| 1998 | 209 |
| 1999 | 191 |
| 2000 | 177 |
| 2001 | 181 |
| 2002 | 190 |
| 2003 | 209 |
| 2004 | 204 |
| 2005 | 205 |
| 2006 | 186 |
| 2007 | 195 |
| 2008 | 181 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1938 | 21.7 °C |
| 1939 | 21.3 °C |
| 1940 | 20.5 °C |
| 1941 | 22.3 °C |
| 1942 | 21.0 °C |
| 1945 | 20.2 °C |
| 1946 | 20.6 °C |
| 1947 | 21.3 °C |
| 1948 | 20.7 °C |
| 1949 | 20.2 °C |
| 1950 | 19.1 °C |
| 1952 | 21.4 °C |
| 1953 | 21.4 °C |
| 1954 | 22.9 °C |
| 1955 | 21.7 °C |
| 1956 | 21.3 °C |
| 1957 | 20.9 °C |
| 1958 | 20.2 °C |
| 1959 | 21.6 °C |
| 1960 | 21.1 °C |
| 1961 | 19.6 °C |
| 1962 | 21.2 °C |
| 1963 | 21.2 °C |
| 1964 | 21.8 °C |
| 1965 | 21.5 °C |
| 1966 | 19.9 °C |
| 1967 | 19.6 °C |
| 1968 | 20.4 °C |
| 1969 | 20.3 °C |
| 1970 | 21.2 °C |
| 1972 | 20.8 °C |
| 1973 | 20.6 °C |
| 1974 | 20.1 °C |
| 1975 | 20.7 °C |
| 1976 | 20.1 °C |
| 1977 | 22.1 °C |
| 1978 | 20.8 °C |
| 1979 | 20.1 °C |
| 1980 | 22.1 °C |
| 1981 | 21.2 °C |
| 1982 | 20.2 °C |
| 1983 | 20.9 °C |
| 1984 | 20.7 °C |
| 1985 | 21.2 °C |
| 1986 | 22.3 °C |
| 1987 | 22.3 °C |
| 1988 | 21.7 °C |
| 1989 | 20.4 °C |
| 1990 | 21.1 °C |
| 1991 | 22.3 °C |
| 1992 | 20.0 °C |
| 1993 | 20.8 °C |
| 1994 | 20.8 °C |
| 1995 | 21.0 °C |
| 1996 | 20.6 °C |
| 1997 | 20.2 °C |
| 1998 | 22.5 °C |
| 1999 | 22.0 °C |
| 2000 | 22.2 °C |
| 2001 | 22.2 °C |
| 2002 | 22.0 °C |
| 2003 | 20.9 °C |
| 2004 | 20.8 °C |
| 2005 | 22.2 °C |
| 2006 | 22.1 °C |
| 2007 | 22.4 °C |
| 2008 | 20.8 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1938, Gray Summit's last spring frost has come about 1 day earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 2 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Union (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.