USDA Hardiness Zone 7a
Frost Dates for 66736 — Fredonia, Kansas
Averages from Fredonia, Ks US, the nearest reporting station, 1 miles away.
Plant tender crops after April 12, and expect the first autumn freeze around October 26. That leaves about 197 frost-free days.
- Last spring frost
- April 12
- First fall frost
- October 26
- Growing season
- 197 days
- Hardiness zone
- 7a
50% probability
50% probability
frost-free
0 to 5°F annual low
- First snow
- December 23
- Last snow
- February 8
- Winters with snow
- 70%
- Snow per year
- 6.5"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
14 of 20 observed
NOAA normal
When it snows in Fredonia, Kansas
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Fredonia, Kansas usually arrives around December 23, and the last of the season around February 8. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Fredonia, Ks US: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 70% of those winters.
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 66736
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 1 – February 15 | Start peppers and aubergines indoors They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 15 – March 1 | Start tomatoes indoors Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 15 – March 29 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 12 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 12 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in Fredonia, Kansas are past their last freeze. Harvest before October 26, which leaves roughly 197 frost-free days.
ZIP 66736 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.