USDA Hardiness Zone 7a
Frost Dates for 63937 — Ellsinore, Missouri
Averages from Clearwater Dam, Mo US, the nearest reporting station, 13.6 miles away.
Plant tender crops after April 9, and expect the first autumn freeze around October 26. That leaves about 199 frost-free days.
- Last spring frost
- April 9
- First fall frost
- October 26
- Growing season
- 199 days
- Hardiness zone
- 7a
50% probability
50% probability
frost-free
0 to 5°F annual low
- First snow
- December 22
- Last snow
- February 25
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 8.9"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
20 of 20 observed
NOAA normal
When it snows in Ellsinore, Missouri
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Ellsinore, Missouri usually arrives around December 22, and the last of the season around February 25. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Williamsville, Mo US, 10.8 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Every one of those winters saw snow.
For a gardener, snow matters less than frost: a light snow on frozen ground changes nothing, while a hard frost on an unprotected bed ends the season. Use the frost dates above for planting and the snow dates for getting hoses drained, mulch down and tender pots indoors.
Planting calendar for 63937
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 29 – February 12 | Start peppers and aubergines indoors They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 12 – February 26 | Start tomatoes indoors Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 12 – March 26 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 9 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbers The average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 3 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicas They need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 12 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover them A first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 26 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 April 9 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in Ellsinore, Missouri are past their last freeze. Harvest before October 26, which leaves roughly 199 frost-free days.
ZIP 63937 sits in USDA hardiness zone 7a, meaning the average coldest night of the year falls between 0 to 5°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.