When to plant in Fort Madison, IA
Planting dates worked out from Fort Madison's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 20
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 10
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 23
1 year in 10 by Oct 10
Frost-free days
192
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Ft Madison · 1.8 km away · station 161 m, town 161 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 | Feb 23 – Mar 9 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 14 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 19 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 12 – Feb 19 | Mar 19 – Apr 2 | Apr 28 |
| Peas | — | Mar 19 – Apr 16 | May 13 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 13 – May 4 | Jun 2 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 28 – May 9 | May 27 |
| Beet | — | Mar 28 – May 9 | May 17 |
| Potato | — | Mar 28 – Apr 18 | Jun 6 |
| Kale | Feb 12 – Feb 26 | Mar 26 – Apr 9 | May 8 |
| Broccoli | Feb 5 – Feb 19 | Mar 19 – Apr 9 | May 18 |
| Cucumber | Mar 23 – Mar 30 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 9 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 23 – Mar 30 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 4 |
| Winter squash | Mar 23 – Mar 30 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jul 9 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 13 – May 4 | Jun 12 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 19 – Apr 9 | Jun 17 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 9 – Nov 6 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 19 – Apr 16 | Apr 26 |
| Basil | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 16 |
Fort Madison'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 |
|---|---|
| 1895 | Apr 2 |
| 1953 | Apr 27 |
| 1955 | Apr 8 |
| 1956 | Apr 24 |
| 1957 | Apr 15 |
| 1958 | Apr 29 |
| 1959 | Apr 22 |
| 1960 | Apr 18 |
| 1961 | Apr 29 |
| 1962 | Apr 16 |
| 1963 | May 1 |
| 1964 | Apr 9 |
| 1966 | May 12 |
| 1967 | Apr 24 |
| 1968 | Apr 15 |
| 1969 | Apr 29 |
| 1970 | Apr 7 |
| 1971 | May 14 |
| 1972 | Apr 25 |
| 1974 | Apr 24 |
| 1976 | May 2 |
| 1977 | Apr 7 |
| 1978 | May 2 |
| 1979 | Apr 7 |
| 1981 | Apr 6 |
| 1982 | Apr 22 |
| 1983 | Apr 20 |
| 1984 | Apr 1 |
| 1985 | Apr 10 |
| 1986 | Apr 22 |
| 1987 | Apr 4 |
| 1988 | Mar 30 |
| 1989 | Apr 13 |
| 1990 | Apr 17 |
| 1991 | Mar 30 |
| 1992 | Apr 2 |
| 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 18 |
| 2002 | Apr 6 |
| 2003 | Apr 10 |
| 2004 | Apr 13 |
| 2005 | May 3 |
| 2006 | Apr 8 |
| 2007 | Apr 15 |
| 2008 | Apr 2 |
| 2009 | Apr 8 |
| 2010 | Mar 29 |
| 2011 | Apr 5 |
| 2012 | Apr 11 |
| 2013 | Apr 20 |
| 2014 | Apr 15 |
| 2015 | Apr 23 |
| 2016 | Apr 12 |
| 2017 | Mar 22 |
| 2018 | Apr 20 |
| 2019 | Apr 28 |
| 2020 | Apr 17 |
| 2021 | Apr 22 |
| 2022 | Apr 26 |
| 2023 | Apr 6 |
| 2024 | Mar 27 |
| 2026 | Mar 28 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1953 | 184 |
| 1955 | 190 |
| 1956 | 197 |
| 1957 | 187 |
| 1958 | 154 |
| 1959 | 172 |
| 1960 | 184 |
| 1961 | 187 |
| 1962 | 190 |
| 1963 | 184 |
| 1964 | 179 |
| 1966 | 164 |
| 1967 | 169 |
| 1968 | 192 |
| 1969 | 167 |
| 1970 | 191 |
| 1971 | 172 |
| 1972 | 172 |
| 1974 | 159 |
| 1976 | 156 |
| 1977 | 187 |
| 1978 | 158 |
| 1981 | 195 |
| 1982 | 182 |
| 1983 | 155 |
| 1984 | 177 |
| 1985 | 207 |
| 1986 | 200 |
| 1987 | 189 |
| 1988 | 209 |
| 1989 | 202 |
| 1990 | 184 |
| 1991 | 202 |
| 1992 | 197 |
| 1993 | 175 |
| 1994 | 222 |
| 1995 | 210 |
| 1996 | 203 |
| 1997 | 187 |
| 1998 | 225 |
| 1999 | 205 |
| 2000 | 181 |
| 2001 | 181 |
| 2002 | 192 |
| 2003 | 174 |
| 2004 | 186 |
| 2005 | 190 |
| 2006 | 186 |
| 2007 | 195 |
| 2008 | 208 |
| 2009 | 184 |
| 2010 | 213 |
| 2011 | 205 |
| 2012 | 177 |
| 2013 | 185 |
| 2014 | 198 |
| 2015 | 176 |
| 2016 | 213 |
| 2017 | 219 |
| 2018 | 182 |
| 2019 | 183 |
| 2020 | 191 |
| 2021 | 193 |
| 2022 | 173 |
| 2023 | 205 |
| 2024 | 202 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1953 | 20.5 °C |
| 1955 | 21.3 °C |
| 1956 | 20.0 °C |
| 1957 | 19.8 °C |
| 1958 | 19.3 °C |
| 1959 | 20.4 °C |
| 1960 | 19.5 °C |
| 1961 | 19.0 °C |
| 1962 | 20.0 °C |
| 1963 | 20.3 °C |
| 1964 | 20.5 °C |
| 1965 | 19.8 °C |
| 1966 | 18.6 °C |
| 1967 | 18.5 °C |
| 1968 | 19.7 °C |
| 1969 | 19.6 °C |
| 1970 | 20.1 °C |
| 1971 | 19.6 °C |
| 1972 | 19.1 °C |
| 1974 | 18.9 °C |
| 1975 | 19.2 °C |
| 1976 | 18.9 °C |
| 1977 | 20.3 °C |
| 1978 | 19.3 °C |
| 1981 | 19.1 °C |
| 1982 | 18.5 °C |
| 1983 | 20.0 °C |
| 1984 | 18.7 °C |
| 1985 | 19.2 °C |
| 1986 | 20.6 °C |
| 1987 | 21.7 °C |
| 1988 | 21.7 °C |
| 1989 | 19.6 °C |
| 1990 | 19.8 °C |
| 1991 | 21.4 °C |
| 1992 | 18.7 °C |
| 1993 | 19.1 °C |
| 1994 | 19.9 °C |
| 1995 | 19.7 °C |
| 1996 | 19.1 °C |
| 1997 | 19.1 °C |
| 1998 | 21.3 °C |
| 1999 | 20.5 °C |
| 2000 | 20.6 °C |
| 2001 | 20.5 °C |
| 2002 | 20.8 °C |
| 2003 | 19.8 °C |
| 2004 | 19.8 °C |
| 2005 | 21.6 °C |
| 2006 | 20.9 °C |
| 2007 | 21.1 °C |
| 2008 | 19.6 °C |
| 2009 | 19.4 °C |
| 2010 | 21.8 °C |
| 2011 | 20.6 °C |
| 2012 | 21.6 °C |
| 2013 | 19.6 °C |
| 2014 | 18.9 °C |
| 2015 | 19.3 °C |
| 2016 | 19.9 °C |
| 2017 | 20.3 °C |
| 2018 | 20.6 °C |
| 2019 | 20.2 °C |
| 2020 | 19.6 °C |
| 2021 | 20.3 °C |
| 2022 | 20.3 °C |
| 2024 | 20.7 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1895, Fort Madison's last spring frost has come about 1 day earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 3 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Ft Madison (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.