Columbia, MO · zone 6a · ~207 frost-free days
When to plant in Columbia: frost dates and zone 6a.
In Columbia, the typical last spring frost lands around Apr 6 and the first fall frost around Oct 30, giving you about 207 frost-free days. Cool-season crops go out before the last frost; warm-season crops wait until after it.
The 2026 windows
Sow dates for Columbia, keyed to your frost.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring sow / set out | Fall sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicing | Mar 2 to May 2 | Apr 13 to Jun 13 | — |
| Lettuce, leaf | — | Feb 27 to Apr 13 | Aug 16 to Oct 15 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 27 to Apr 1 | Aug 4 to Aug 30 |
| Bush Bean | — | Apr 6 to May 27 | Jul 16 to Aug 18 |
| Cucumber, slicing | — | Apr 13 to Jul 13 | — |
| Pepper, bell | Mar 11 to May 2 | Apr 22 to Jun 13 | — |
| Kale | Jan 16 to Feb 13 | Feb 27 to Mar 27 | Jul 30 to Sep 14 |
| Spinach | — | Feb 13 to Mar 27 | Aug 16 to Oct 4 |
Columbia sits in Zone 6a, but two gardens in the same city can be a week or two apart. The planner works from your ZIP code's frost dates, not the zone, so the dates land right for your block, not the metro average.
Build your Columbia garden plan.
Tell the free planner what you want to eat and who you're feeding. It returns plant counts, spacing, and frost-safe sow dates for ZIP 65201 in about 60 seconds.
Columbia planting questions
What planting zone is Columbia, MO?+
Columbia is in USDA hardiness zone 6a. Growing zone, gardening zone, and planting zone all mean the same thing: the USDA number, 6a here. It tells you what survives winter, not when to plant. Frost dates set your planting time, and the free planner uses your exact ZIP code's frost dates, which can differ by weeks across one metro.
When is the last frost date in Columbia?+
The typical last spring frost in Columbia, MO is around Apr 6. That is an average from local history, not a guarantee, so tender crops like tomatoes and peppers are safer with a week of buffer after it.
When is the first frost date in Columbia?+
The typical first fall frost in Columbia, MO arrives around Oct 30, closing a growing season of roughly 207 frost-free days. Count backward from it to find the last date a fall crop can still finish.
What can I plant now in Columbia?+
It depends on the date. Cool-season crops like lettuce, kale, and spinach go out weeks before the last frost; warm-season crops like tomatoes and peppers wait until after Apr 6. The table above shows each crop's window; the free planner turns your ZIP into an exact, dated calendar.