When to plant in Oakland, MO
Planting dates worked out from Oakland's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 10
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Mar 29
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 8
1 year in 10 by Oct 28
Frost-free days
221
median, 1991–2020
Station used: St Louis Sci Ctr · 11.7 km away · station 157 m, town 187 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 13 – Feb 27 | Apr 10 – Apr 24 | Jun 4 |
| Sweet pepper | Jan 30 – Feb 13 | Apr 10 – Apr 24 | Jun 9 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Jan 25 – Feb 1 | Mar 1 – Mar 15 | Apr 10 |
| Peas | — | Feb 15 – Mar 15 | Apr 11 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 3 – Apr 24 | May 23 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 8 – Apr 19 | May 7 |
| Beet | — | Mar 1 – Apr 12 | Apr 20 |
| Potato | — | Mar 8 – Mar 29 | May 17 |
| Kale | Jan 18 – Feb 1 | Mar 1 – Mar 15 | Apr 13 |
| Broccoli | Jan 18 – Feb 1 | Mar 1 – Mar 22 | Apr 30 |
| Cucumber | Mar 13 – Mar 20 | Apr 10 – Apr 24 | May 30 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 13 – Mar 20 | Apr 10 – Apr 24 | May 25 |
| Winter squash | Mar 13 – Mar 20 | Apr 10 – Apr 24 | Jun 29 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 3 – Apr 24 | Jun 2 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 1 – Mar 22 | May 30 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 25 – Nov 22 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Feb 15 – Mar 15 | Mar 25 |
| Basil | Feb 27 – Mar 13 | Apr 10 – Apr 24 | Jun 6 |
Oakland'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 |
|---|---|
| 1969 | Mar 31 |
| 1970 | Apr 5 |
| 1971 | Apr 6 |
| 1972 | Apr 9 |
| 1973 | Apr 11 |
| 1974 | Mar 26 |
| 1975 | Apr 5 |
| 1976 | Apr 12 |
| 1977 | Mar 22 |
| 1988 | Mar 30 |
| 1989 | Apr 11 |
| 1990 | Apr 12 |
| 1993 | Apr 2 |
| 1994 | Apr 8 |
| 1995 | Apr 5 |
| 1996 | Apr 9 |
| 1997 | Apr 14 |
| 1998 | Mar 24 |
| 1999 | Mar 27 |
| 2003 | Mar 30 |
| 2004 | Mar 24 |
| 2005 | Mar 20 |
| 2006 | Mar 26 |
| 2007 | Apr 9 |
| 2009 | Mar 15 |
| 2010 | Mar 8 |
| 2011 | Mar 28 |
| 2012 | Mar 5 |
| 2013 | Apr 2 |
| 2014 | Apr 15 |
| 2016 | Apr 9 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1969 | 225 |
| 1970 | 223 |
| 1971 | 214 |
| 1972 | 192 |
| 1973 | 208 |
| 1975 | 221 |
| 1976 | 198 |
| 1977 | 234 |
| 1990 | 207 |
| 1993 | 210 |
| 1994 | 227 |
| 1995 | 211 |
| 1996 | 206 |
| 1997 | 202 |
| 1998 | 227 |
| 1999 | 210 |
| 2003 | 221 |
| 2004 | 246 |
| 2005 | 240 |
| 2006 | 211 |
| 2009 | 262 |
| 2010 | 242 |
| 2011 | 227 |
| 2012 | 247 |
| 2014 | 199 |
| 2016 | 217 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1969 | 22.5 °C |
| 1970 | 23.2 °C |
| 1971 | 22.8 °C |
| 1972 | 21.9 °C |
| 1973 | 21.9 °C |
| 1975 | 21.7 °C |
| 1976 | 21.5 °C |
| 1977 | 23.2 °C |
| 1988 | 23.1 °C |
| 1989 | 21.0 °C |
| 1990 | 21.4 °C |
| 1993 | 21.3 °C |
| 1994 | 21.2 °C |
| 1995 | 21.3 °C |
| 1996 | 21.2 °C |
| 1997 | 20.7 °C |
| 1998 | 22.8 °C |
| 1999 | 22.3 °C |
| 2004 | 21.6 °C |
| 2005 | 22.9 °C |
| 2006 | 22.9 °C |
| 2007 | 23.2 °C |
| 2009 | 21.7 °C |
| 2010 | 24.9 °C |
| 2011 | 22.8 °C |
| 2012 | 23.7 °C |
| 2013 | 22.0 °C |
| 2014 | 21.9 °C |
| 2016 | 23.2 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1969, Oakland's last spring frost has come about 2 days earlier per decade, on average. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from St Louis Sci Ctr (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.