When to plant in Sheldon, IA

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

Safe to plant out

May 20

1 year in 10 has a later frost

Average last frost

May 6

about a 50% chance of a later one

Average first fall frost

Sep 26

1 year in 10 by Sep 15

Frost-free days

146

median, 1991–2020

Station used: Sheldon · 0.3 km away · station 437 m, town 435 m. How we match towns to stations

This season

Plan your garden.

Build my Sheldon plan

Planting dates for common crops

Crop	Start indoors	Plant out or sow	Harvest from
Tomato	Mar 25 – Apr 8	May 20 – Jun 3	Jul 14
Sweet pepper	Mar 11 – Mar 25	May 20 – Jun 3	Jul 19
Lettuce (leaf)	Mar 5 – Mar 12	Apr 9 – Apr 23	May 19
Peas	—	Apr 9 – May 7	Jun 3
Bush beans	—	May 13 – Jun 3	Jul 2
Carrot	—	Apr 19 – May 31	Jun 18
Beet	—	Apr 19 – May 31	Jun 8
Potato	—	Apr 19 – May 10	Jun 28
Kale	Mar 5 – Mar 19	Apr 16 – Apr 30	May 29
Broccoli	Feb 26 – Mar 12	Apr 9 – Apr 30	Jun 8
Cucumber	Apr 22 – Apr 29	May 20 – Jun 3	Jul 9
Summer squash and zucchini	Apr 22 – Apr 29	May 20 – Jun 3	Jul 4
Winter squash	Apr 22 – Apr 29	May 20 – Jun 3	Aug 8
Sweet corn	—	May 13 – Jun 3	Jul 12
Onion (from sets)	—	Apr 9 – Apr 30	Jul 8
Garlic	—	Sep 12 – Oct 10 (fall)	following summer
Spinach	—	Apr 9 – May 7	May 17
Basil	Apr 8 – Apr 22	May 20 – Jun 3	Jul 16

Plan all 65 crops for Sheldon

Sheldon'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
1899	May 21
1900	May 3
1901	May 25
1902	May 3
1905	May 26
1906	May 28
1907	May 27
1908	May 8
1909	May 10
1910	May 13
1911	May 4
1926	May 14
1927	Apr 24
1928	May 1
1929	May 16
1930	May 17
1931	May 22
1932	Apr 27
1933	Apr 27
1934	Apr 27
1935	May 5
1936	Apr 29
1937	May 14
1938	May 8
1939	May 11
1940	May 3
1941	Apr 24
1942	May 15
1943	May 13
1944	May 6
1945	May 10
1946	May 12
1947	May 29
1948	Apr 13
1949	Apr 24
1950	May 7
1951	Apr 23
1952	Apr 24
1953	May 13
1954	May 10
1955	May 8
1956	May 4
1957	May 5
1958	Apr 29
1959	May 15
1960	May 11
1961	May 2
1962	Apr 19
1963	May 22
1964	Apr 22
1965	May 28
1966	May 13
1967	May 9
1968	May 18
1969	May 12
1970	May 2
1971	May 12
1972	Apr 25
1973	May 15
1975	May 1
1976	May 7
1977	Apr 6
1978	May 2
1979	May 12
1980	May 9
1981	May 10
1982	Apr 22
1983	May 15
1984	May 1
1985	Apr 10
1986	May 2
1987	Apr 28
1988	Apr 28
1989	May 7
1990	May 6
1991	May 7
1992	May 27
1993	May 20
1994	May 1
1995	May 5
1997	May 20
1998	Apr 29
1999	Apr 19
2000	Apr 21
2001	Apr 24
2002	May 20
2003	Apr 22
2004	May 15
2005	May 4
2006	Apr 26
2007	Apr 15
2008	May 3
2009	May 17
2010	May 9
2011	May 16
2012	Apr 24
2013	May 12
2014	May 18
2015	Apr 29
2016	May 14
2017	May 2
2018	Apr 28
2019	May 10

Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Frost-free days
1899	118
1900	136
1901	115
1902	131
1905	137
1906	130
1907	120
1908	142
1909	153
1910	136
1926	133
1927	148
1928	144
1929	124
1930	149
1931	147
1932	154
1933	163
1934	146
1935	144
1936	160
1937	124
1938	133
1939	136
1940	144
1941	156
1942	131
1943	129
1944	155
1945	140
1946	139
1947	115
1948	179
1949	142
1950	148
1951	151
1952	151
1953	143
1954	134
1955	125
1956	148
1957	157
1958	154
1959	145
1960	157
1961	145
1962	153
1963	159
1964	157
1965	118
1966	140
1967	140
1968	138
1969	148
1970	159
1971	133
1972	157
1975	152
1976	151
1977	182
1978	157
1979	145
1980	146
1981	144
1982	176
1983	128
1984	147
1985	166
1986	156
1987	156
1988	158
1989	138
1990	139
1991	134
1992	123
1993	117
1994	160
1995	139
1997	123
1998	154
1999	154
2000	146
2001	152
2002	126
2003	155
2004	139
2005	155
2006	146
2007	152
2008	149
2009	142
2010	146
2011	121
2012	150
2013	131
2014	117
2015	168
2016	146
2017	161
2018	158

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

See the data as a table

Year	Growing-season temperature
1899	16.6 °C
1900	18.1 °C
1901	18.3 °C
1902	16.2 °C
1905	17.5 °C
1906	17.9 °C
1907	15.8 °C
1908	17.9 °C
1909	17.0 °C
1910	17.4 °C
1911	18.6 °C
1912	16.8 °C
1926	18.1 °C
1927	16.5 °C
1928	16.4 °C
1929	17.0 °C
1930	18.3 °C
1931	19.4 °C
1932	18.2 °C
1933	18.7 °C
1934	19.1 °C
1935	17.0 °C
1936	19.3 °C
1937	17.8 °C
1938	17.9 °C
1939	18.4 °C
1940	17.3 °C
1941	18.6 °C
1942	17.1 °C
1943	17.0 °C
1944	17.1 °C
1945	15.7 °C
1946	17.1 °C
1947	17.0 °C
1948	18.3 °C
1949	17.9 °C
1950	15.3 °C
1951	15.4 °C
1952	17.4 °C
1953	16.9 °C
1954	17.2 °C
1955	19.5 °C
1956	17.4 °C
1957	17.1 °C
1958	17.6 °C
1959	18.1 °C
1960	17.1 °C
1961	16.2 °C
1962	16.9 °C
1963	18.5 °C
1964	17.8 °C
1965	16.6 °C
1966	16.8 °C
1967	16.4 °C
1968	17.1 °C
1969	17.4 °C
1970	18.1 °C
1971	17.3 °C
1972	16.6 °C
1975	17.1 °C
1976	18.4 °C
1977	19.0 °C
1978	17.8 °C
1979	16.8 °C
1980	18.4 °C
1981	17.9 °C
1982	17.0 °C
1983	17.5 °C
1984	16.9 °C
1985	17.6 °C
1986	18.0 °C
1987	18.5 °C
1988	18.8 °C
1989	17.2 °C
1990	17.1 °C
1991	17.6 °C
1992	14.7 °C
1993	15.3 °C
1994	17.0 °C
1995	16.7 °C
1997	16.6 °C
1998	17.6 °C
1999	16.7 °C
2000	17.2 °C
2001	17.2 °C
2002	17.6 °C
2003	16.7 °C
2004	16.8 °C
2005	18.2 °C
2006	17.4 °C
2007	17.9 °C
2008	15.8 °C
2009	15.0 °C
2010	17.6 °C
2011	16.4 °C
2012	18.4 °C
2013	15.8 °C
2014	15.9 °C
2015	16.9 °C
2016	17.4 °C
2017	16.7 °C
2018	16.8 °C

What this means for you: Since 1899, Sheldon'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 Sheldon (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.

Nearby towns

Sanborn George Hull Alton Orange City Sibley