When to plant in Sainte Genevieve, MO
Planting dates worked out from Sainte Genevieve's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 19
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 6
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 28
1 year in 10 by Oct 13
Frost-free days
202
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Kaskaskia Rvr Navigation Lock · 8.3 km away · station 119 m, town 117 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 22 – Mar 8 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 13 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 8 – Feb 22 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 18 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 2 – Feb 9 | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Apr 18 |
| Peas | — | Mar 6 – Apr 3 | Apr 30 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 12 – May 3 | Jun 1 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 17 – Apr 28 | May 16 |
| Beet | — | Mar 17 – Apr 28 | May 6 |
| Potato | — | Mar 17 – Apr 7 | May 26 |
| Kale | Jan 30 – Feb 13 | Mar 13 – Mar 27 | Apr 25 |
| Broccoli | Jan 26 – Feb 9 | Mar 9 – Mar 30 | May 8 |
| Cucumber | Mar 22 – Mar 29 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 8 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 22 – Mar 29 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 3 |
| Winter squash | Mar 22 – Mar 29 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jul 8 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 12 – May 3 | Jun 11 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 9 – Mar 30 | Jun 7 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 14 – Nov 11 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 6 – Apr 3 | Apr 13 |
| Basil | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 15 |
Sainte Genevieve'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 |
|---|---|
| 1975 | Apr 12 |
| 1976 | May 3 |
| 1977 | Mar 31 |
| 1978 | May 3 |
| 1979 | Apr 7 |
| 1980 | Apr 15 |
| 1981 | Apr 5 |
| 1982 | Apr 11 |
| 1983 | Apr 20 |
| 1984 | Apr 2 |
| 1986 | Apr 23 |
| 1987 | Apr 6 |
| 1988 | Apr 28 |
| 1989 | Apr 13 |
| 1990 | Apr 18 |
| 1991 | Apr 1 |
| 1992 | Apr 29 |
| 1993 | Apr 3 |
| 1996 | Apr 12 |
| 1997 | Apr 19 |
| 1998 | Mar 16 |
| 1999 | Mar 27 |
| 2000 | Mar 30 |
| 2001 | Apr 18 |
| 2004 | Apr 3 |
| 2005 | May 2 |
| 2006 | Apr 10 |
| 2007 | Apr 10 |
| 2008 | Mar 25 |
| 2009 | Apr 5 |
| 2010 | Mar 27 |
| 2011 | Apr 5 |
| 2012 | Apr 12 |
| 2013 | Apr 5 |
| 2014 | Apr 16 |
| 2015 | Apr 5 |
| 2016 | Mar 29 |
| 2017 | Mar 20 |
| 2020 | Mar 23 |
| 2021 | Apr 23 |
| 2022 | Apr 20 |
| 2023 | Apr 25 |
| 2024 | Apr 7 |
| 2025 | Mar 21 |
| 2026 | Mar 18 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1975 | 197 |
| 1976 | 167 |
| 1977 | 194 |
| 1978 | 157 |
| 1979 | 185 |
| 1980 | 192 |
| 1981 | 200 |
| 1982 | 192 |
| 1983 | 198 |
| 1984 | 180 |
| 1986 | 200 |
| 1987 | 179 |
| 1988 | 160 |
| 1989 | 163 |
| 1990 | 175 |
| 1991 | 188 |
| 1992 | 172 |
| 1996 | 203 |
| 1997 | 185 |
| 1998 | 235 |
| 2005 | 178 |
| 2006 | 185 |
| 2007 | 203 |
| 2008 | 216 |
| 2009 | 235 |
| 2010 | 223 |
| 2011 | 219 |
| 2012 | 199 |
| 2013 | 202 |
| 2014 | 198 |
| 2015 | 195 |
| 2016 | 225 |
| 2017 | 222 |
| 2020 | 195 |
| 2021 | 193 |
| 2023 | 188 |
| 2024 | 191 |
| 2025 | 225 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1974 | 20.3 °C |
| 1975 | 21.1 °C |
| 1976 | 20.1 °C |
| 1977 | 21.7 °C |
| 1978 | 21.3 °C |
| 1979 | 20.5 °C |
| 1980 | 22.0 °C |
| 1981 | 21.2 °C |
| 1982 | 20.7 °C |
| 1983 | 21.5 °C |
| 1984 | 20.8 °C |
| 1985 | 21.9 °C |
| 1986 | 22.3 °C |
| 1987 | 22.4 °C |
| 1988 | 21.8 °C |
| 1989 | 20.4 °C |
| 1990 | 20.9 °C |
| 1991 | 22.6 °C |
| 1992 | 19.9 °C |
| 1996 | 21.4 °C |
| 1997 | 21.0 °C |
| 1998 | 23.5 °C |
| 2002 | 22.2 °C |
| 2005 | 22.3 °C |
| 2006 | 22.1 °C |
| 2007 | 22.3 °C |
| 2008 | 20.3 °C |
| 2009 | 20.7 °C |
| 2010 | 23.1 °C |
| 2011 | 22.3 °C |
| 2012 | 22.7 °C |
| 2013 | 21.2 °C |
| 2014 | 21.1 °C |
| 2015 | 22.4 °C |
| 2016 | 22.6 °C |
| 2017 | 22.0 °C |
| 2020 | 20.7 °C |
| 2021 | 21.1 °C |
| 2023 | 21.3 °C |
| 2024 | 22.0 °C |
| 2025 | 21.7 °C |
| 2026 | 22.8 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1975, Sainte Genevieve's last spring frost has come about 3 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 6 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Kaskaskia Rvr Navigation Lock (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.