Regional guide

Central Missouri Spring and Fall Vegetable Garden

A Central Missouri spring-and-fall vegetable guide for gardeners using MU Extension's Central Missouri planting windows instead of one statewide date.

Regional timing

Current regional planting plan

Source-backed timing MU Extension vegetable planting calendar

Central Missouri 4 climate signals

Source source cues Local conditions

MU Extension separates vegetable planting dates into South, Central, and North Missouri columns.
The calendar lists second fall crop dates under spring dates where a vegetable can be planted again.
The Ozark Plateau uses North Missouri dates because higher elevation can mean later spring and earlier fall frosts.

Catalog priority: 11 priority crops
Climate checks: 4 climate signals
Timing basis: Use regional source signals

Source-backed timing MU Extension separates vegetable planting dates into South, Central, and North Missouri columns.

The calendar lists second fall crop dates under spring dates where a vegetable can be planted again.

Crop priority Detroit Dark Red Beet leads the catalog examples

Detroit Dark Red Beet, Waltham 29 Broccoli, Golden Acre Cabbage, Bloomsdale Spinach

Next local check Use beets, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, and turnips for March-to-April cool-season starts and late July-to-August fall resets.

Reserve late April and May bed space for snap beans, cucumbers, squash, tomato transplants, and watermelon; keep sweet corn on its own longer succession row.

Calendar Convert regional timing into dated sowing, transplant, and harvest jobs. Frost dates Keep hardiness zone context separate from local first and last frost dates. All regions Compare this guide with the broader regional atlas. North Missouri/Ozark A North Missouri and Ozark Plateau guide for MU Extension north-column dates, later spring frosts, earlier fall frosts, and source-name matches.

Climate signals

MU Extension separates vegetable planting dates into South, Central, and North Missouri columns.
The calendar lists second fall crop dates under spring dates where a vegetable can be planted again.
The Ozark Plateau uses North Missouri dates because higher elevation can mean later spring and earlier fall frosts.
Central Missouri warm-season windows place beans, cucumbers, squash, tomato transplants, and watermelons in late April or May, while sweet corn can continue as a longer 4/25-to-8/1 succession window.

Planning notes

Use beets, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, and turnips for March-to-April cool-season starts and late July-to-August fall resets.
Reserve late April and May bed space for snap beans, cucumbers, squash, tomato transplants, and watermelon; keep sweet corn on its own longer succession row.
Check crop-specific Central Missouri rows before repeating a planting because fall windows differ by crop.
Treat this as a Central Missouri guide; Ozark Plateau and North or South Missouri gardens should use their matching MU column.

Catalog crop examples

These catalog entries match crops covered by the regional timing source; variety-specific details remain tied to each seed entry's own source.

Detroit Dark Red Beet Vegetable · Cool · 58 days
Waltham 29 Broccoli Vegetable · Cool · 74 days
Golden Acre Cabbage Vegetable · Cool · 64 days
Bloomsdale Spinach Vegetable · Cool · 42 days
Purple Top White Globe Turnip Vegetable · Cool · 55 days
Provider Bush Bean Vegetable · Warm · 50 days
Golden Bantam Sweet Corn Vegetable · Warm · 80 days
Marketmore 76 Cucumber Vegetable · Warm · 58 days
Waltham Butternut Squash Vegetable · Warm · 95 days
Roma Tomato Vegetable · Warm · 76 days
Sugar Baby Watermelon Vegetable · Warm · 80 days

Related regional guides

North Missouri and Ozark Plateau Vegetable Garden A North Missouri and Ozark Plateau guide for MU Extension north-column dates, later spring frosts, earlier fall frosts, and source-name matches.
South Missouri Vegetable Planting Calendar A South Missouri planting calendar for MU Extension south-column dates, spring and fall crop rows, and source-name catalog examples.
Missouri Vegetable Variety Recommendations A Missouri variety guide using MU Extension Table 2 source-name matches for vegetables selected under Missouri growing conditions.

Dated sowing answers, where the data exists

Five regions on this site have a dated "what can I still sow today" page, built from the windows their state extension service publishes: Texas, North Florida, Central Maryland, New York City and York County, PA. Central Missouri is not one of them, and nothing on those pages applies here.

Five regions have a dated first-frost answer; Central Missouri is not one of them yet The method behind the five covered regions: a published planting window, days to maturity, and the local first frost.

Source: MU Extension vegetable planting calendar