When to plant in Saint Paul, MO
Planting dates worked out from Saint Paul's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 20
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 27
1 year in 10 by Oct 16
Frost-free days
197
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Weldon Spring Nws · 18.8 km away · station 186 m, town 157 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 23 – Mar 9 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 14 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 19 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 5 – Feb 12 | Mar 12 – Mar 26 | Apr 21 |
| Peas | — | Mar 12 – Apr 9 | May 6 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 13 – May 4 | Jun 2 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 20 – May 1 | May 19 |
| Beet | — | Mar 20 – May 1 | May 9 |
| Potato | — | Mar 20 – Apr 10 | May 29 |
| Kale | Feb 5 – Feb 19 | Mar 19 – Apr 2 | May 1 |
| Broccoli | Jan 29 – Feb 12 | Mar 12 – Apr 2 | May 11 |
| Cucumber | Mar 23 – Mar 30 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 9 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 23 – Mar 30 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 4 |
| Winter squash | Mar 23 – Mar 30 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jul 9 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 13 – May 4 | Jun 12 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 12 – Apr 2 | Jun 10 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 13 – Nov 10 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 12 – Apr 9 | Apr 19 |
| Basil | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 16 |
Saint Paul'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 |
|---|---|
| 1958 | May 7 |
| 1959 | Apr 22 |
| 1960 | May 12 |
| 1961 | May 2 |
| 1962 | Apr 16 |
| 1963 | May 1 |
| 1964 | Apr 9 |
| 1965 | Mar 31 |
| 1966 | May 10 |
| 1967 | May 3 |
| 1969 | Apr 1 |
| 1970 | Apr 7 |
| 1971 | Apr 8 |
| 1972 | Apr 10 |
| 1976 | May 8 |
| 1977 | Apr 7 |
| 1980 | Apr 26 |
| 1984 | Apr 19 |
| 1986 | Apr 23 |
| 1992 | May 7 |
| 1997 | Apr 18 |
| 1998 | Apr 5 |
| 1999 | Mar 27 |
| 2000 | Apr 9 |
| 2002 | Apr 6 |
| 2003 | Apr 11 |
| 2004 | Mar 23 |
| 2005 | Mar 21 |
| 2006 | Apr 10 |
| 2007 | Apr 14 |
| 2008 | Apr 29 |
| 2009 | Apr 8 |
| 2010 | Mar 27 |
| 2011 | Mar 31 |
| 2012 | Apr 13 |
| 2013 | Apr 21 |
| 2014 | Apr 16 |
| 2015 | Apr 5 |
| 2016 | Apr 12 |
| 2017 | Mar 17 |
| 2018 | Apr 18 |
| 2019 | Apr 16 |
| 2020 | Apr 19 |
| 2021 | Apr 23 |
| 2022 | Apr 20 |
| 2023 | Apr 25 |
| 2024 | Mar 29 |
| 2025 | Apr 9 |
| 2026 | Mar 29 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1958 | 146 |
| 1959 | 178 |
| 1960 | 160 |
| 1961 | 165 |
| 1962 | 190 |
| 1963 | 181 |
| 1964 | 179 |
| 1965 | 206 |
| 1966 | 148 |
| 1969 | 198 |
| 1970 | 192 |
| 1971 | 210 |
| 1972 | 191 |
| 1976 | 160 |
| 1992 | 162 |
| 1997 | 186 |
| 1998 | 214 |
| 1999 | 204 |
| 2000 | 180 |
| 2003 | 209 |
| 2004 | 234 |
| 2005 | 220 |
| 2006 | 185 |
| 2007 | 197 |
| 2008 | 181 |
| 2009 | 192 |
| 2010 | 215 |
| 2011 | 224 |
| 2012 | 197 |
| 2013 | 186 |
| 2014 | 198 |
| 2015 | 195 |
| 2016 | 214 |
| 2017 | 225 |
| 2018 | 185 |
| 2019 | 197 |
| 2020 | 194 |
| 2021 | 193 |
| 2022 | 180 |
| 2023 | 188 |
| 2024 | 239 |
| 2025 | 214 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1958 | 19.7 °C |
| 1959 | 21.4 °C |
| 1960 | 20.7 °C |
| 1961 | 19.2 °C |
| 1962 | 20.1 °C |
| 1963 | 20.6 °C |
| 1964 | 21.0 °C |
| 1965 | 20.9 °C |
| 1966 | 19.2 °C |
| 1969 | 20.3 °C |
| 1970 | 20.7 °C |
| 1971 | 20.4 °C |
| 1972 | 20.6 °C |
| 1976 | 19.9 °C |
| 1977 | 21.8 °C |
| 1983 | 20.2 °C |
| 1986 | 20.6 °C |
| 1992 | 19.3 °C |
| 1997 | 19.8 °C |
| 1998 | 21.8 °C |
| 2000 | 20.9 °C |
| 2002 | 21.1 °C |
| 2003 | 19.9 °C |
| 2004 | 19.9 °C |
| 2005 | 21.4 °C |
| 2006 | 21.1 °C |
| 2007 | 21.4 °C |
| 2008 | 19.7 °C |
| 2009 | 19.8 °C |
| 2010 | 22.0 °C |
| 2011 | 21.2 °C |
| 2012 | 21.9 °C |
| 2013 | 20.3 °C |
| 2014 | 20.4 °C |
| 2015 | 21.1 °C |
| 2016 | 21.4 °C |
| 2017 | 21.0 °C |
| 2018 | 21.3 °C |
| 2019 | 20.9 °C |
| 2020 | 20.1 °C |
| 2021 | 20.8 °C |
| 2022 | 21.1 °C |
| 2023 | 21.2 °C |
| 2024 | 21.5 °C |
| 2025 | 21.4 °C |
| 2026 | 22.4 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1958, Saint Paul's last spring frost has come about 2 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 5 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Weldon Spring Nws (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.