When to plant in Davenport, IA
Planting dates worked out from Davenport's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 28
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 12
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 26
1 year in 10 by Oct 10
Frost-free days
198
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Rock Is L&d 15 · 1.2 km away · station 173 m, town 180 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 3 – Mar 17 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 22 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 17 – Mar 3 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 27 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 16 – Feb 23 | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | May 2 |
| Peas | — | Mar 23 – Apr 20 | May 17 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 21 – May 12 | Jun 10 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 1 – May 13 | May 31 |
| Beet | — | Apr 1 – May 13 | May 21 |
| Potato | — | Apr 1 – Apr 22 | Jun 10 |
| Kale | Feb 16 – Mar 2 | Mar 30 – Apr 13 | May 12 |
| Broccoli | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | Mar 23 – Apr 13 | May 22 |
| Cucumber | Mar 31 – Apr 7 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 17 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 31 – Apr 7 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 12 |
| Winter squash | Mar 31 – Apr 7 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jul 17 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 21 – May 12 | Jun 20 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 23 – Apr 13 | Jun 21 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 12 – Nov 9 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 23 – Apr 20 | Apr 30 |
| Basil | Mar 17 – Mar 31 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 24 |
Davenport'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 |
|---|---|
| 1873 | Apr 25 |
| 1874 | Apr 29 |
| 1875 | May 4 |
| 1876 | May 2 |
| 1889 | Apr 6 |
| 1890 | May 17 |
| 1891 | May 4 |
| 1986 | May 1 |
| 1989 | May 6 |
| 1990 | Apr 18 |
| 1991 | Mar 30 |
| 1992 | Apr 12 |
| 1993 | Apr 17 |
| 1994 | Apr 7 |
| 1995 | Apr 5 |
| 1996 | Apr 10 |
| 1997 | Apr 17 |
| 1998 | Mar 24 |
| 1999 | Mar 26 |
| 2000 | Apr 8 |
| 2001 | Apr 17 |
| 2002 | Apr 7 |
| 2003 | Apr 10 |
| 2004 | Apr 13 |
| 2005 | Mar 27 |
| 2006 | Apr 27 |
| 2007 | Apr 12 |
| 2008 | Apr 3 |
| 2009 | Apr 12 |
| 2012 | Apr 11 |
| 2013 | May 13 |
| 2014 | Apr 15 |
| 2015 | Apr 4 |
| 2016 | Apr 12 |
| 2017 | Apr 7 |
| 2018 | Apr 20 |
| 2019 | Apr 30 |
| 2020 | May 11 |
| 2021 | Apr 16 |
| 2022 | Apr 26 |
| 2023 | Apr 7 |
| 2024 | Apr 6 |
| 2025 | Apr 8 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1873 | 158 |
| 1874 | 165 |
| 1875 | 160 |
| 1876 | 155 |
| 1889 | 183 |
| 1890 | 162 |
| 1891 | 168 |
| 1989 | 164 |
| 1990 | 183 |
| 1991 | 202 |
| 1992 | 187 |
| 1993 | 194 |
| 1994 | 216 |
| 1995 | 210 |
| 1996 | 202 |
| 1997 | 187 |
| 1998 | 225 |
| 1999 | 210 |
| 2000 | 181 |
| 2001 | 216 |
| 2002 | 195 |
| 2003 | 174 |
| 2005 | 233 |
| 2006 | 178 |
| 2007 | 207 |
| 2008 | 207 |
| 2012 | 198 |
| 2013 | 162 |
| 2014 | 198 |
| 2015 | 219 |
| 2016 | 183 |
| 2017 | 203 |
| 2018 | 183 |
| 2019 | 164 |
| 2020 | 146 |
| 2021 | 200 |
| 2022 | 174 |
| 2024 | 227 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 19.3 °C |
| 1873 | 18.8 °C |
| 1874 | 18.5 °C |
| 1875 | 17.5 °C |
| 1876 | 19.0 °C |
| 1889 | 17.6 °C |
| 1890 | 17.1 °C |
| 1989 | 19.1 °C |
| 1990 | 19.2 °C |
| 1991 | 21.1 °C |
| 1992 | 18.2 °C |
| 1993 | 19.2 °C |
| 1994 | 19.8 °C |
| 1995 | 19.6 °C |
| 1996 | 18.8 °C |
| 1997 | 18.9 °C |
| 1998 | 20.8 °C |
| 1999 | 20.3 °C |
| 2000 | 20.1 °C |
| 2001 | 20.3 °C |
| 2002 | 20.3 °C |
| 2003 | 19.6 °C |
| 2004 | 19.7 °C |
| 2005 | 21.3 °C |
| 2006 | 20.6 °C |
| 2007 | 20.6 °C |
| 2011 | 20.0 °C |
| 2012 | 20.8 °C |
| 2013 | 19.3 °C |
| 2014 | 18.9 °C |
| 2015 | 19.5 °C |
| 2017 | 19.3 °C |
| 2018 | 20.1 °C |
| 2019 | 18.9 °C |
| 2020 | 19.6 °C |
| 2021 | 20.5 °C |
| 2022 | 20.0 °C |
| 2023 | 20.5 °C |
| 2024 | 20.5 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1873, Davenport's last spring frost has come about 1 day earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 2 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Rock Is L&d 15 (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.