When to plant in Arnolds Park, IA
Planting dates worked out from Arnolds Park's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 14
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 27
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 14
1 year in 10 by Oct 2
Frost-free days
169
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Spirit Lake · 5.7 km away · station 434 m, town 434 m. How we match towns to stations
This season
Plan your garden.
Planting dates for common crops
| Crop | Start indoors | Plant out or sow | Harvest from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Mar 19 – Apr 2 | May 14 – May 28 | Jul 8 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 5 – Mar 19 | May 14 – May 28 | Jul 13 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 2 – Mar 9 | Apr 6 – Apr 20 | May 16 |
| Peas | — | Apr 6 – May 4 | May 31 |
| Bush beans | — | May 7 – May 28 | Jun 26 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 15 – May 27 | Jun 14 |
| Beet | — | Apr 15 – May 27 | Jun 4 |
| Potato | — | Apr 15 – May 6 | Jun 24 |
| Kale | Mar 2 – Mar 16 | Apr 13 – Apr 27 | May 26 |
| Broccoli | Feb 23 – Mar 9 | Apr 6 – Apr 27 | Jun 5 |
| Cucumber | Apr 16 – Apr 23 | May 14 – May 28 | Jul 3 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 16 – Apr 23 | May 14 – May 28 | Jun 28 |
| Winter squash | Apr 16 – Apr 23 | May 14 – May 28 | Aug 2 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 7 – May 28 | Jul 6 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 6 – Apr 27 | Jul 5 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 30 – Oct 28 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 6 – May 4 | May 14 |
| Basil | Apr 2 – Apr 16 | May 14 – May 28 | Jul 10 |
Arnolds Park's weather over time
How the growing season has shifted here, year by year, from the station's own records.
Each year's last spring frostLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Last spring frost |
|---|---|
| 1894 | May 28 |
| 1895 | May 13 |
| 1896 | Apr 21 |
| 1897 | May 31 |
| 1898 | May 12 |
| 1953 | May 13 |
| 2000 | Apr 21 |
| 2001 | Apr 18 |
| 2002 | May 2 |
| 2003 | Apr 9 |
| 2004 | May 14 |
| 2005 | May 4 |
| 2006 | Apr 8 |
| 2007 | Apr 14 |
| 2008 | Apr 29 |
| 2010 | May 9 |
| 2011 | May 3 |
| 2012 | Apr 11 |
| 2013 | May 4 |
| 2014 | May 16 |
| 2015 | Apr 23 |
| 2016 | May 14 |
| 2017 | May 2 |
| 2018 | Apr 25 |
| 2019 | Apr 29 |
| 2020 | Apr 22 |
| 2021 | Apr 23 |
| 2022 | Apr 27 |
| 2023 | May 3 |
| 2024 | Apr 22 |
| 2025 | Apr 20 |
| 2026 | Apr 21 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1895 | 137 |
| 1896 | 150 |
| 1897 | 130 |
| 1898 | 145 |
| 1953 | 164 |
| 2000 | 156 |
| 2001 | 170 |
| 2002 | 157 |
| 2004 | 140 |
| 2005 | 170 |
| 2006 | 185 |
| 2007 | 200 |
| 2008 | 169 |
| 2010 | 170 |
| 2011 | 167 |
| 2012 | 176 |
| 2013 | 166 |
| 2014 | 140 |
| 2015 | 175 |
| 2016 | 181 |
| 2017 | 177 |
| 2018 | 169 |
| 2019 | 164 |
| 2020 | 162 |
| 2021 | 182 |
| 2022 | 163 |
| 2023 | 177 |
| 2024 | 187 |
| 2025 | 184 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1894 | 19.5 °C |
| 1895 | 19.5 °C |
| 1896 | 17.4 °C |
| 1897 | 17.8 °C |
| 1898 | 17.3 °C |
| 1899 | 17.7 °C |
| 2000 | 17.5 °C |
| 2001 | 17.8 °C |
| 2002 | 17.9 °C |
| 2004 | 16.9 °C |
| 2005 | 18.9 °C |
| 2006 | 18.3 °C |
| 2007 | 18.7 °C |
| 2008 | 17.1 °C |
| 2010 | 18.6 °C |
| 2011 | 17.6 °C |
| 2012 | 19.2 °C |
| 2013 | 17.3 °C |
| 2014 | 17.1 °C |
| 2015 | 17.9 °C |
| 2016 | 17.9 °C |
| 2017 | 17.4 °C |
| 2018 | 17.4 °C |
| 2019 | 17.1 °C |
| 2020 | 17.7 °C |
| 2021 | 18.2 °C |
| 2022 | 17.2 °C |
| 2023 | 18.3 °C |
| 2024 | 18.1 °C |
| 2025 | 18.0 °C |
| 2026 | 18.2 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1894, Arnolds Park's last spring frost has come about 2 days earlier per decade, on average. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Spirit Lake (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.