First and Last Frost Dates

I'm taking advantage of these cold winter months to make preparations for next year's garden.  We had another cold spell over the last few days, but didn't get much moisture with it.  I did get some 13-gallon black plastic bags to use for leaf compost and to cover the compost totes to keep the soil and worms warmer.  I've got all but 2 of the totes covered.  So I have bags of compost materials in white bags on top of the soil content, then the tote is covered with black plastic.  I think I will use the black plastic to make the soil warmer in the spring and also to prevent excessive rains from drenching the soil.  I've thought about using a lot of leaves to make mulch to cover the soil area in each tote, but am considering using black plastic on top of that for warmth and moisture retention.

I checked the first and last frost dates for Pratt KS and the Old Farmer's almanac says April 26 and October 9, with a growing season of 165 days.  Using black plastic should warm up the soil sooner and having frost protection for the young plants should move that date up some.  And of course, frost protection in the fall, in case I'm still in a gardening mood, will extend that day.

“This could feel like the never-ending winter, particularly in the Midwest and east to the Ohio Valley and Appalachians, where wintery weather will last well into March and even through the first days of spring,” says Almanac editor Janice Stillman.  "The middle of the country and New England can bank on a slush fund, as 'more wet than white' conditions will leave sludgy messes that freeze during the overnights." And then next summer is expected to bring searing temperatures to the Great Plains.  

We'll see if these predictions are correct -- unfortunately, so far they are.