USDA Hardiness Zone 7b
Frost Dates for 63857 — Kennett, Missouri
Averages from Kennett Radio Kboa, Mo US, the nearest reporting station, 1.7 miles away.
Plant tender crops after March 31, and expect the first autumn freeze around November 1. That leaves about 215 frost-free days.
- Last spring frost
- March 31
- First fall frost
- November 1
- Growing season
- 215 days
- Hardiness zone
- 7b
50% probability
50% probability
frost-free
5 to 10°F annual low
Planting calendar for 63857
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 20 – February 3 | Start peppers and aubergines indoors They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 3 – February 17 | Start tomatoes indoors Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 3 – March 17 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| March 31 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbers The average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 9 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicas They need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 18 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover them A first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 1 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbs Garlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
What these dates mean
Wait until after March 31 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in Kennett, Missouri are past their last freeze. Harvest before November 1, which leaves roughly 215 frost-free days.
ZIP 63857 sits in USDA hardiness zone 7b, meaning the average coldest night of the year falls between 5 to 10°F. Zone decides what survives the winter; frost dates decide when to plant each spring. They are different questions, and a plant can pass one and fail the other.
These are thirty-year NOAA averages for 1991–2020, not a forecast. Any individual year can frost two to three weeks either side of these dates, so check the actual forecast before planting out.