Mount Vernon, KY 40460 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Mount Vernon, KY?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/18, roughly 233 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/24, about 189 frost-free days later.
Zone 7a (0 to 5°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Mount Vernon, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 8 weeks of growing season left in Mount Vernon before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/18 isn't a guarantee
04/18 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/31 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/06 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Mount Vernon compares
About 189 days separate Mount Vernon's last and first frost, putting it 21,600 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within KY, it ranks 564 of 909.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Mount Vernon can differ from the 40460 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7a and Mount Vernon's frost date answer different questions.