When to plant in Hillsboro, MO
Planting dates worked out from Hillsboro's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 24
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 11
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 22
1 year in 10 by Oct 8
Frost-free days
190
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Festus · 14.4 km away · station 183 m, town 242 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 27 – Mar 13 | Apr 24 – May 8 | Jun 18 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 13 – Feb 27 | Apr 24 – May 8 | Jun 23 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 7 – Feb 14 | Mar 14 – Mar 28 | Apr 23 |
| Peas | — | Mar 10 – Apr 7 | May 4 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 17 – May 8 | Jun 6 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 21 – May 2 | May 20 |
| Beet | — | Mar 20 – May 1 | May 9 |
| Potato | — | Mar 21 – Apr 11 | May 30 |
| Kale | Feb 3 – Feb 17 | Mar 17 – Mar 31 | Apr 29 |
| Broccoli | Jan 31 – Feb 14 | Mar 14 – Apr 4 | May 13 |
| Cucumber | Mar 27 – Apr 3 | Apr 24 – May 8 | Jun 13 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 27 – Apr 3 | Apr 24 – May 8 | Jun 8 |
| Winter squash | Mar 27 – Apr 3 | Apr 24 – May 8 | Jul 13 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 17 – May 8 | Jun 16 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 14 – Apr 4 | Jun 12 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 8 – Nov 5 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 10 – Apr 7 | Apr 17 |
| Basil | Mar 13 – Mar 27 | Apr 24 – May 8 | Jun 20 |
Hillsboro'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 |
|---|---|
| 1961 | May 2 |
| 1962 | Apr 15 |
| 1963 | May 1 |
| 1965 | Apr 30 |
| 1966 | May 9 |
| 1967 | May 3 |
| 1968 | May 6 |
| 1969 | May 12 |
| 1970 | Apr 20 |
| 1971 | Apr 15 |
| 1972 | Apr 26 |
| 1973 | Apr 14 |
| 1974 | Apr 24 |
| 1975 | Apr 20 |
| 1976 | May 8 |
| 1977 | Apr 7 |
| 1978 | Apr 27 |
| 1979 | May 5 |
| 1980 | May 9 |
| 1981 | Apr 6 |
| 1983 | Apr 25 |
| 1990 | Apr 13 |
| 1991 | Apr 1 |
| 1992 | Apr 28 |
| 1993 | Apr 23 |
| 1996 | Apr 10 |
| 1997 | Apr 18 |
| 1998 | Apr 4 |
| 2000 | Apr 24 |
| 2001 | Apr 18 |
| 2005 | Mar 21 |
| 2006 | Apr 10 |
| 2007 | Apr 14 |
| 2008 | Apr 30 |
| 2010 | Mar 27 |
| 2011 | Apr 6 |
| 2012 | Apr 13 |
| 2013 | Apr 3 |
| 2014 | Apr 16 |
| 2015 | Apr 5 |
| 2016 | Apr 10 |
| 2017 | Mar 17 |
| 2018 | Apr 18 |
| 2019 | Apr 16 |
| 2020 | Apr 19 |
| 2021 | Apr 23 |
| 2022 | Apr 20 |
| 2023 | Apr 25 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1961 | 153 |
| 1963 | 179 |
| 1965 | 164 |
| 1966 | 145 |
| 1968 | 150 |
| 1969 | 154 |
| 1970 | 172 |
| 1971 | 179 |
| 1972 | 175 |
| 1973 | 200 |
| 1974 | 151 |
| 1975 | 164 |
| 1976 | 154 |
| 1977 | 179 |
| 1978 | 163 |
| 1979 | 152 |
| 1980 | 148 |
| 1981 | 179 |
| 1990 | 180 |
| 1991 | 188 |
| 1992 | 173 |
| 1993 | 169 |
| 1996 | 191 |
| 1997 | 186 |
| 2000 | 164 |
| 2001 | 180 |
| 2005 | 218 |
| 2006 | 185 |
| 2007 | 197 |
| 2008 | 180 |
| 2010 | 215 |
| 2011 | 218 |
| 2012 | 199 |
| 2013 | 204 |
| 2014 | 198 |
| 2015 | 195 |
| 2016 | 213 |
| 2017 | 225 |
| 2018 | 185 |
| 2019 | 178 |
| 2020 | 169 |
| 2021 | 193 |
| 2022 | 180 |
| 2023 | 188 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1961 | 19.7 °C |
| 1962 | 20.8 °C |
| 1963 | 20.0 °C |
| 1965 | 20.9 °C |
| 1966 | 19.3 °C |
| 1967 | 19.5 °C |
| 1968 | 20.1 °C |
| 1969 | 20.6 °C |
| 1970 | 20.6 °C |
| 1971 | 20.4 °C |
| 1972 | 20.6 °C |
| 1973 | 20.7 °C |
| 1974 | 19.8 °C |
| 1975 | 20.4 °C |
| 1976 | 19.6 °C |
| 1977 | 22.1 °C |
| 1978 | 21.7 °C |
| 1979 | 20.2 °C |
| 1980 | 21.6 °C |
| 1981 | 20.9 °C |
| 1983 | 20.6 °C |
| 1990 | 20.3 °C |
| 1991 | 21.6 °C |
| 1992 | 19.4 °C |
| 1993 | 20.1 °C |
| 1995 | 20.9 °C |
| 1996 | 20.3 °C |
| 1997 | 19.4 °C |
| 1998 | 21.3 °C |
| 2000 | 20.5 °C |
| 2001 | 21.4 °C |
| 2005 | 21.3 °C |
| 2006 | 20.9 °C |
| 2007 | 21.2 °C |
| 2008 | 19.5 °C |
| 2010 | 21.8 °C |
| 2011 | 21.4 °C |
| 2012 | 22.7 °C |
| 2013 | 21.1 °C |
| 2014 | 21.1 °C |
| 2015 | 21.6 °C |
| 2016 | 21.7 °C |
| 2017 | 21.2 °C |
| 2018 | 21.8 °C |
| 2019 | 21.4 °C |
| 2020 | 20.3 °C |
| 2021 | 20.7 °C |
| 2022 | 21.1 °C |
| 2023 | 21.2 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1961, Hillsboro's last spring frost has come about 3 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 Festus (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.