When to plant in Rockwell City, IA

Planting dates worked out from Rockwell City's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.

Safe to plant out

May 11

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 11

1 year in 10 by Oct 2

Frost-free days

168

median, 1991–2020

Station used: Rockwell City · 0.4 km away · station 370 m, town 375 m. How we match towns to stations

This season

Plan your garden.

Build my Rockwell City plan

Planting dates for common crops

Crop	Start indoors	Plant out or sow	Harvest from
Tomato	Mar 16 – Mar 30	May 11 – May 25	Jul 5
Sweet pepper	Mar 2 – Mar 16	May 11 – May 25	Jul 10
Lettuce (leaf)	Feb 27 – Mar 6	Apr 3 – Apr 17	May 13
Peas	—	Apr 3 – May 1	May 28
Bush beans	—	May 4 – May 25	Jun 23
Carrot	—	Apr 12 – May 24	Jun 11
Beet	—	Apr 12 – May 24	Jun 1
Potato	—	Apr 12 – May 3	Jun 21
Kale	Feb 27 – Mar 13	Apr 10 – Apr 24	May 23
Broccoli	Feb 20 – Mar 6	Apr 3 – Apr 24	Jun 2
Cucumber	Apr 13 – Apr 20	May 11 – May 25	Jun 30
Summer squash and zucchini	Apr 13 – Apr 20	May 11 – May 25	Jun 25
Winter squash	Apr 13 – Apr 20	May 11 – May 25	Jul 30
Sweet corn	—	May 4 – May 25	Jul 3
Onion (from sets)	—	Apr 3 – Apr 24	Jul 2
Garlic	—	Sep 27 – Oct 25 (fall)	following summer
Spinach	—	Apr 3 – May 1	May 11
Basil	Mar 30 – Apr 13	May 11 – May 25	Jul 7

Plan all 65 crops for Rockwell City

Rockwell 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
1897	Apr 20
1898	May 6
1899	May 13
1900	May 3
1901	Apr 18
1902	Apr 23
1903	May 3
1904	Apr 21
1905	May 8
1907	May 27
1908	May 3
1909	May 3
1910	May 13
1911	May 3
1912	Apr 25
1913	Apr 18
1915	May 17
1916	May 2
1917	May 7
1918	Apr 30
1919	Apr 26
1920	Apr 28
1927	May 5
1930	May 17
1931	May 22
1932	Apr 27
1933	Apr 27
1934	Apr 27
1935	May 5
1936	Apr 23
1937	Apr 25
1938	May 8
1939	Apr 22
1940	May 3
1941	Apr 24
1942	May 4
1943	Apr 21
1944	May 6
1945	May 10
1946	May 12
1947	May 29
1948	Apr 14
1949	Apr 24
1950	May 1
1951	Apr 26
1952	Apr 16
1953	May 13
1954	May 9
1955	Apr 7
1956	May 4
1957	May 4
1958	Apr 29
1959	Apr 22
1960	May 8
1961	May 2
1962	Apr 17
1963	May 22
1964	Apr 9
1965	Apr 28
1966	May 10
1967	May 4
1968	May 5
1969	Apr 29
1970	May 2
1971	May 3
1972	Apr 26
1973	Apr 28
1974	May 6
1975	Apr 20
1976	May 3
1977	Apr 6
1978	May 2
1979	May 12
1980	May 8
1981	May 10
1982	Apr 22
1983	May 15
1984	May 1
1985	Apr 9
1986	May 2
1987	Apr 11
1988	Apr 24
1989	May 6
1990	May 1
1991	Apr 10
1992	Apr 27
1993	Apr 20
1994	May 1
1995	Apr 27
1996	May 1
1997	May 15
2000	Apr 22
2001	Apr 19
2002	May 10
2003	Apr 11
2004	May 4
2005	May 5
2006	Apr 27
2007	Apr 14
2008	Apr 30
2009	Apr 21
2010	May 9
2011	May 4
2012	Apr 12
2013	May 12
2014	May 16
2015	Apr 23
2016	Apr 13
2017	Apr 30
2018	Apr 21
2019	Apr 29
2020	Apr 22
2021	Apr 23
2022	Apr 27
2023	Apr 26

Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Frost-free days
1897	151
1898	152
1899	135
1900	157
1901	168
1903	166
1904	167
1905	156
1907	137
1908	147
1909	160
1910	161
1911	153
1912	177
1913	156
1916	135
1917	151
1919	167
1920	179
1930	152
1931	162
1932	160
1933	167
1934	152
1935	151
1936	180
1937	165
1938	164
1939	160
1940	164
1941	157
1942	142
1943	176
1944	156
1945	141
1946	139
1947	119
1948	185
1949	156
1950	154
1951	154
1952	170
1953	146
1954	159
1955	190
1956	148
1957	158
1958	154
1959	169
1960	163
1961	148
1962	188
1963	159
1964	171
1965	166
1966	143
1967	147
1968	151
1969	167
1970	160
1971	177
1972	156
1973	170
1974	138
1975	163
1976	155
1977	185
1978	158
1979	153
1980	147
1981	144
1982	180
1983	128
1984	147
1985	169
1986	156
1987	174
1988	162
1989	139
1990	161
1991	161
1992	171
1993	171
1994	176
1996	154
1997	157
2000	166
2002	149
2003	170
2004	150
2005	154
2007	193
2008	168
2009	168
2011	167
2012	175
2013	159
2014	140
2015	177
2016	182
2017	179
2018	176
2019	165
2020	162
2021	181
2022	153

Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Growing-season temperature
1897	18.5 °C
1898	17.8 °C
1899	18.0 °C
1900	18.9 °C
1901	19.1 °C
1903	17.2 °C
1904	16.8 °C
1905	17.6 °C
1907	16.6 °C
1908	18.4 °C
1909	17.9 °C
1910	17.7 °C
1911	19.1 °C
1912	18.3 °C
1913	18.6 °C
1916	17.9 °C
1917	16.5 °C
1918	17.4 °C
1920	17.0 °C
1930	18.8 °C
1931	19.5 °C
1932	18.7 °C
1933	19.5 °C
1934	20.1 °C
1935	17.9 °C
1936	20.2 °C
1937	18.8 °C
1938	18.8 °C
1939	19.5 °C
1940	18.1 °C
1941	19.7 °C
1942	18.5 °C
1943	18.1 °C
1944	18.1 °C
1945	16.6 °C
1946	17.8 °C
1947	17.9 °C
1948	19.1 °C
1949	18.6 °C
1950	16.4 °C
1951	16.5 °C
1952	18.4 °C
1953	18.1 °C
1954	18.5 °C
1955	20.1 °C
1956	18.5 °C
1957	18.0 °C
1958	18.1 °C
1959	18.8 °C
1960	18.3 °C
1961	17.1 °C
1962	17.7 °C
1963	19.2 °C
1964	19.0 °C
1965	18.2 °C
1966	17.6 °C
1967	17.4 °C
1968	18.2 °C
1969	18.3 °C
1970	19.2 °C
1971	18.8 °C
1972	17.9 °C
1973	18.4 °C
1974	17.8 °C
1975	18.1 °C
1976	18.9 °C
1977	19.8 °C
1978	18.5 °C
1979	17.9 °C
1980	19.3 °C
1981	18.9 °C
1982	17.6 °C
1983	18.3 °C
1984	17.9 °C
1985	18.4 °C
1986	18.7 °C
1987	19.6 °C
1988	20.3 °C
1989	18.5 °C
1990	18.5 °C
1991	19.2 °C
1992	17.0 °C
1993	17.0 °C
1994	18.4 °C
1995	17.7 °C
1996	16.5 °C
1997	16.7 °C
2000	17.9 °C
2001	17.3 °C
2002	17.7 °C
2003	16.8 °C
2004	17.1 °C
2005	18.3 °C
2006	17.8 °C
2007	18.3 °C
2008	16.7 °C
2009	16.6 °C
2010	18.9 °C
2011	17.9 °C
2012	19.3 °C
2013	17.4 °C
2014	17.1 °C
2015	18.2 °C
2016	18.6 °C
2017	18.3 °C
2018	18.4 °C
2019	18.0 °C
2020	18.2 °C
2021	18.6 °C
2022	17.7 °C
2023	18.3 °C

What this means for you: Since 1897, Rockwell City's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.

Source: daily records from Rockwell City (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.

Nearby towns

Lake City Manson Sac City Lake View Pocahontas Glidden