When to plant in Prairie City, IA
Planting dates worked out from Prairie City's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 3
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 18
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 16
1 year in 10 by Oct 5
Frost-free days
179
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Neal Smith Iowa · 4.1 km away · station 274 m, town 283 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 8 – Mar 22 | May 3 – May 17 | Jun 27 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 22 – Mar 8 | May 3 – May 17 | Jul 2 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 16 – Feb 23 | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | May 2 |
| Peas | — | Mar 23 – Apr 20 | May 17 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 26 – May 17 | Jun 15 |
| 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 | Apr 5 – Apr 12 | May 3 – May 17 | Jun 22 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 5 – Apr 12 | May 3 – May 17 | Jun 17 |
| Winter squash | Apr 5 – Apr 12 | May 3 – May 17 | Jul 22 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 26 – May 17 | Jun 25 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 23 – Apr 13 | Jun 21 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 2 – Oct 30 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 23 – Apr 20 | Apr 30 |
| Basil | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | May 3 – May 17 | Jun 29 |
Prairie City'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 |
|---|---|
| 2003 | Apr 10 |
| 2004 | Apr 13 |
| 2005 | May 3 |
| 2006 | Apr 11 |
| 2007 | Apr 13 |
| 2008 | Apr 29 |
| 2009 | Apr 11 |
| 2010 | Mar 29 |
| 2011 | May 3 |
| 2012 | Apr 12 |
| 2013 | May 3 |
| 2014 | Apr 18 |
| 2015 | Apr 22 |
| 2016 | Apr 12 |
| 2017 | Apr 7 |
| 2018 | Apr 20 |
| 2019 | Apr 28 |
| 2020 | Apr 17 |
| 2021 | Apr 25 |
| 2022 | Apr 26 |
| 2023 | Apr 24 |
| 2024 | Apr 21 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 173 |
| 2004 | 171 |
| 2005 | 156 |
| 2006 | 183 |
| 2007 | 194 |
| 2008 | 169 |
| 2009 | 181 |
| 2010 | 212 |
| 2011 | 169 |
| 2012 | 176 |
| 2013 | 172 |
| 2014 | 195 |
| 2015 | 190 |
| 2016 | 183 |
| 2017 | 203 |
| 2018 | 177 |
| 2019 | 165 |
| 2020 | 183 |
| 2021 | 180 |
| 2022 | 164 |
| 2023 | 185 |
| 2024 | 176 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 18.6 °C |
| 2004 | 18.5 °C |
| 2005 | 19.8 °C |
| 2006 | 19.3 °C |
| 2007 | 19.5 °C |
| 2008 | 18.0 °C |
| 2009 | 18.1 °C |
| 2010 | 20.0 °C |
| 2011 | 18.9 °C |
| 2012 | 20.3 °C |
| 2013 | 19.1 °C |
| 2014 | 18.3 °C |
| 2015 | 19.4 °C |
| 2016 | 19.7 °C |
| 2017 | 19.6 °C |
| 2018 | 19.7 °C |
| 2019 | 19.3 °C |
| 2020 | 19.2 °C |
| 2021 | 20.0 °C |
| 2022 | 19.4 °C |
| 2023 | 19.8 °C |
| 2024 | 19.9 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Neal Smith Iowa (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.