Kansas City, MO · zone 6b · ~212 frost-free days
When to plant in Kansas City: frost dates and zone 6b.
In Kansas City, the typical last spring frost lands around Apr 4 and the first fall frost around Nov 2, giving you about 212 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 Kansas City, keyed to your frost.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring sow / set out | Fall sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicing | Feb 28 to Apr 30 | Apr 11 to Jun 11 | — |
| Lettuce, leaf | — | Feb 25 to Apr 11 | Aug 19 to Oct 18 |
| Carrot | — | Feb 25 to Mar 30 | Aug 7 to Sep 2 |
| Bush Bean | — | Apr 4 to May 25 | Jul 19 to Aug 21 |
| Cucumber, slicing | — | Apr 11 to Jul 11 | — |
| Pepper, bell | Mar 9 to Apr 30 | Apr 20 to Jun 11 | — |
| Kale | Jan 14 to Feb 11 | Feb 25 to Mar 25 | Aug 2 to Sep 17 |
| Spinach | — | Feb 11 to Mar 25 | Aug 19 to Oct 7 |
Kansas City sits in Zone 6b, 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 Kansas City 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 64106 in about 60 seconds.
Kansas City planting questions
What planting zone is Kansas City, MO?+
Kansas City is in USDA hardiness zone 6b. Growing zone, gardening zone, and planting zone all mean the same thing: the USDA number, 6b 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 Kansas City?+
The typical last spring frost in Kansas City, MO is around Apr 4. 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 Kansas City?+
The typical first fall frost in Kansas City, MO arrives around Nov 2, closing a growing season of roughly 212 frost-free days. Count backward from it to find the last date a fall crop can still finish.
What can I plant now in Kansas City?+
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 4. The table above shows each crop's window; the free planner turns your ZIP into an exact, dated calendar.