When to plant in Mount Vernon, MO
Planting dates worked out from Mount Vernon's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 6
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 20
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 17
1 year in 10 by Oct 2
Frost-free days
180
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Mt Vernon Univ Mo - Sw Ctr · 6.3 km away · station 363 m, town 369 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 11 – Mar 25 | May 6 – May 20 | Jun 30 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 25 – Mar 11 | May 6 – May 20 | Jul 5 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 16 – Feb 23 | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | May 2 |
| Peas | — | Mar 9 – Apr 6 | May 3 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 29 – May 20 | Jun 18 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 30 – May 11 | May 29 |
| Beet | — | Mar 23 – May 4 | May 12 |
| Potato | — | Mar 30 – Apr 20 | Jun 8 |
| Kale | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | May 5 |
| Broccoli | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | Mar 23 – Apr 13 | May 22 |
| Cucumber | Apr 8 – Apr 15 | May 6 – May 20 | Jun 25 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 8 – Apr 15 | May 6 – May 20 | Jun 20 |
| Winter squash | Apr 8 – Apr 15 | May 6 – May 20 | Jul 25 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 29 – May 20 | Jun 28 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 23 – Apr 13 | Jun 21 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 3 – Oct 31 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 9 – Apr 6 | Apr 16 |
| Basil | Mar 25 – Apr 8 | May 6 – May 20 | Jul 2 |
Mount Vernon'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 16 |
| 1963 | May 1 |
| 1964 | Apr 9 |
| 1965 | Apr 1 |
| 1966 | Apr 21 |
| 1967 | Mar 21 |
| 1968 | Apr 24 |
| 1969 | Apr 29 |
| 1970 | Apr 5 |
| 1971 | Apr 14 |
| 1972 | Apr 9 |
| 1973 | Apr 11 |
| 1974 | Apr 15 |
| 1975 | Apr 12 |
| 1976 | May 3 |
| 1977 | Apr 5 |
| 1978 | Apr 26 |
| 1979 | Apr 28 |
| 1980 | May 9 |
| 1981 | Apr 6 |
| 1982 | Apr 22 |
| 1984 | Apr 22 |
| 1985 | Apr 9 |
| 1986 | Apr 22 |
| 1987 | Apr 6 |
| 1988 | Apr 27 |
| 1989 | May 2 |
| 1990 | Apr 13 |
| 1991 | Apr 10 |
| 1992 | May 6 |
| 1993 | Apr 22 |
| 1994 | Apr 7 |
| 1995 | May 3 |
| 1997 | May 16 |
| 1998 | Apr 23 |
| 1999 | Apr 18 |
| 2000 | May 14 |
| 2001 | Apr 18 |
| 2002 | Apr 6 |
| 2003 | Apr 11 |
| 2004 | Apr 14 |
| 2005 | May 3 |
| 2006 | Apr 9 |
| 2008 | Apr 29 |
| 2009 | Apr 12 |
| 2010 | Mar 30 |
| 2011 | Apr 5 |
| 2012 | Apr 21 |
| 2013 | May 3 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1961 | 165 |
| 1962 | 191 |
| 1963 | 180 |
| 1964 | 179 |
| 1966 | 177 |
| 1967 | 190 |
| 1968 | 162 |
| 1969 | 180 |
| 1970 | 187 |
| 1971 | 199 |
| 1972 | 192 |
| 1973 | 208 |
| 1974 | 204 |
| 1975 | 189 |
| 1976 | 155 |
| 1977 | 190 |
| 1978 | 163 |
| 1979 | 159 |
| 1980 | 155 |
| 1981 | 195 |
| 1982 | 181 |
| 1984 | 160 |
| 1985 | 174 |
| 1986 | 175 |
| 1987 | 179 |
| 1988 | 167 |
| 1989 | 144 |
| 1990 | 188 |
| 1992 | 173 |
| 1994 | 201 |
| 1997 | 153 |
| 1998 | 181 |
| 1999 | 156 |
| 2000 | 146 |
| 2001 | 159 |
| 2002 | 190 |
| 2003 | 209 |
| 2004 | 204 |
| 2005 | 157 |
| 2008 | 180 |
| 2009 | 180 |
| 2010 | 212 |
| 2011 | 196 |
| 2012 | 167 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1961 | 19.8 °C |
| 1962 | 21.4 °C |
| 1963 | 22.3 °C |
| 1964 | 21.7 °C |
| 1966 | 19.9 °C |
| 1967 | 19.4 °C |
| 1968 | 19.5 °C |
| 1969 | 20.7 °C |
| 1970 | 21.2 °C |
| 1971 | 20.3 °C |
| 1972 | 21.0 °C |
| 1973 | 20.2 °C |
| 1974 | 20.0 °C |
| 1975 | 20.6 °C |
| 1976 | 19.6 °C |
| 1977 | 22.2 °C |
| 1978 | 21.6 °C |
| 1979 | 19.2 °C |
| 1980 | 22.7 °C |
| 1981 | 21.0 °C |
| 1982 | 20.2 °C |
| 1983 | 20.2 °C |
| 1984 | 20.6 °C |
| 1985 | 20.6 °C |
| 1986 | 21.7 °C |
| 1987 | 21.4 °C |
| 1988 | 20.9 °C |
| 1989 | 19.6 °C |
| 1990 | 20.7 °C |
| 1992 | 19.3 °C |
| 1994 | 20.2 °C |
| 1995 | 20.0 °C |
| 1996 | 20.4 °C |
| 1997 | 18.6 °C |
| 1998 | 21.8 °C |
| 1999 | 19.9 °C |
| 2000 | 20.2 °C |
| 2001 | 21.6 °C |
| 2002 | 21.5 °C |
| 2003 | 20.9 °C |
| 2004 | 20.5 °C |
| 2005 | 21.8 °C |
| 2006 | 21.8 °C |
| 2007 | 20.9 °C |
| 2008 | 20.5 °C |
| 2009 | 20.0 °C |
| 2010 | 22.8 °C |
| 2011 | 22.2 °C |
| 2012 | 22.6 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1961, Mount Vernon's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Mt Vernon Univ Mo - Sw Ctr (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.