The Best Onion Varieties for Missouri
Missouri’s reference weather station sits at 39.30°N, and on the longest day of the year that spot logs 14 hours and 46 minutes of daylight.
Gardening in Missouri
Everything we have worked out for Missouri: what to plant and when, which varieties finish in time, the pests that actually turn up here, and the jobs that pay off month by month. We also cover the rest of the property, from lawns and soil to home care and energy, because a garden rarely stops at the vegetable bed.
The numbers first, because everything else follows from them. Measured at the weather station in Kansas City, the last spring freeze runs April 6 to April 20 and the first fall freeze runs October 18 to October 29, USDA zones 5b-7b, 4,194 growing degree days in the year.
Garlic does well: 21.8 weeks below 40 °F, comfortably past the six it needs to form a proper head.
Elsewhere on the property in Missouri: the pests that turn up here.
Figures from NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals. A state is not one climate: elevation, a large lake or the coast can move these dates by two weeks either way, so check your own county with the extension service before you spend money.
Missouri Soil: What You Are Digging Into, and How to Improve It
Missouri’s official state soil is the Menfro series, a silty, well-drained Alfisol formed under forest cover across the loess hills that run along the…
Flowers That Actually Thrive in Missouri, and the Ones That Struggle
A guide to which flowers hold up to Missouri’s swing between winter cold and long summer heat, and which ones don’t.
Planting Spring Bulbs in Missouri: What Will Come Back, and What Will Not
Spring bulbs planted in Missouri need a six-week head start before the ground freezes, and they need a long, genuinely cold winter to bloom at all.
The Missouri Apple Calendar, Stage by Stage
This calendar walks through each apple growth stage in Missouri, from dormancy to harvest, anchored on Kansas City’s NOAA frost dates rather than fixed calendar months.
The Best Apple Varieties for Missouri
How Kansas City’s winter low and spring frost window decide which apple types will bloom safely and thrive across Missouri’s varied climate.
When to Carve a Pumpkin in Missouri
Missouri’s mean first fall frost lands somewhere between October 18 and October 29, and that single fact should drive your carving date more than any…
Missouri Planting Calendar: When to Sow and Plant, Frost Dates Included
NOAA frost data for Kansas City sets Missouri’s last spring frost as April 6 to April 20, with fall frost October 18 to 29, guiding when to plant.
Growing Onions in Missouri: Which Varieties Actually Bulb
Missouri gardeners can absolutely grow onions, but only some varieties will actually form a bulb here.
Growing Apples in Missouri: Varieties, Timing and Frost Risk
A practical look at USDA zones, frost timing near Kansas City, and which apple varieties and pairs actually bear fruit in Missouri.