USDA Hardiness Zone 6b
Frost Dates for 41086 — Sparta, Kentucky
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Glencoe 6 NW, KY (490 ft), 5 miles north.
Updated
In Sparta, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 23 in half of years and has passed by May 9 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 21, as early as October 7 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 179 days (NOAA, Glencoe 6 NW, KY).
- Last spring frost
- April 23
- First fall frost
- October 21
- Growing season
- 179 days
- Hardiness zone
- 6b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
-5 to 0°F (-20.6 to -17.8°C) coldest night
- First snow
- November 29
- Last snow
- March 14
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 20.6"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
15 of 15 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Sparta
Half of springs at Glencoe 6 NW, KY see their last 32°F night by April 23; only one in ten is past it by April 9, and one in ten still has one after May 9. Planting tender crops after April 30 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 4 20%, and after May 9 10%. The 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 68% of the 113 Kentucky stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 21 in half of years, as early as October 7 one year in ten, and holds off past October 31 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around October 31; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 30, 9 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 179 days in a typical year, shorter than at 85% of the 113 Kentucky stations; it reaches 199 days one year in ten and falls short of 160 one year in ten. On average 120 nights a year drop to 32°F or below. Nights of 36°F, when frost can still settle on leaves in low, open spots, continue 10 days longer, to about May 3, and return around October 11. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 1 and March 11.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 19 | Apr 23 | Apr 28 | May 1 | May 3 | May 6 | May 9 | May 13 | May 18 |
| 32°F | Apr 9 | Apr 14 | Apr 17 | Apr 20 | Apr 23 | Apr 26 | Apr 30 | May 4 | May 9 |
| 28°F | Mar 29 | Apr 3 | Apr 5 | Apr 8 | Apr 11 | Apr 14 | Apr 17 | Apr 22 | Apr 30 |
| 24°F | Mar 17 | Mar 23 | Mar 27 | Mar 29 | Apr 1 | Apr 3 | Apr 6 | Apr 9 | Apr 15 |
| 20°F | Mar 5 | Mar 11 | Mar 15 | Mar 18 | Mar 22 | Mar 25 | Mar 28 | Mar 31 | Apr 4 |
| 16°F | Feb 20 | Feb 28 | Mar 5 | Mar 8 | Mar 11 | Mar 15 | Mar 18 | Mar 22 | Mar 27 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 29 | Oct 4 | Oct 6 | Oct 9 | Oct 11 | Oct 13 | Oct 16 | Oct 18 | Oct 22 |
| 32°F | Oct 7 | Oct 13 | Oct 16 | Oct 19 | Oct 21 | Oct 23 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 |
| 28°F | Oct 18 | Oct 22 | Oct 26 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 11 |
| 24°F | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 24 |
| 20°F | Nov 5 | Nov 9 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 19 | Nov 23 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 6 |
| 16°F | Nov 13 | Nov 18 | Nov 23 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 3 | Dec 8 | Dec 15 | Dec 22 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Glencoe 6 NW, KY, from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Where a temperature is reached in fewer than 99.5% of years, the dates describe only the years that reach it. Not a forecast.
Frost risk on any date in 41086 →Compare Sparta with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Vevay, IN, 10 miles west of Sparta, has a last frost 14 days earlier (April 9), a first frost 11 days later (November 1), a season 25 days longer.
When it snows in Sparta, Kentucky
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Sparta usually arrives around November 29, and the last of the season around March 14. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Vevay, IN, 10.4 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Every one of those winters saw snow. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 40 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 41086
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 12 – February 26 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 26 – March 12 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 26 – April 9 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 23 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 29 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 7 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 21 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbsGarlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
The weeks before and after the 50% dates are general rules of thumb, not NOAA figures; a seed packet gives the timing for each variety.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 41086 is 5 miles from Glencoe 6 NW, KY, which stands at 490 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 3 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 47040 (Rising Sun). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 41086 in zone 6b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -5 to 0°F (-20.6 to -17.8°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.
Hardiness zone and temperature range: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (USDA-ARS, Oregon State University), ZIP-code listing, unchanged. °C converted from °F by this site.
Thirty-year averages, not a forecast: check the forecast before planting out. How stations are matched and which pages are offered to search engines: methodology.