Mitchellville, IA planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 5b−15 to −10 °F
- Last frost
- Apr 21avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Oct 15avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 174days
Mitchellville, Iowa is in USDA plant hardiness zone 5b. Its average last spring frost is around April 21 and the first fall frost around October 15, giving a growing season of about 174 days (NOAA 1991–2020 normals, 32°F, median). Start tender crops like tomatoes and peppers indoors weeks before the last frost and set them out afterward; sow hardy crops such as peas, spinach, and lettuce before it. The planner below turns those frost dates into a printable per-crop planting calendar.
Mitchellville planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Mitchellville's average frost dates. hatched = start seeds indoors, solid green = plant out, teal = a fall sowing, and the terracotta dot marks the estimated first harvest. Ranges are extension-guide planning guidance, not guarantees.
- Start indoors
- Plant out
- Fall sowing
- First harvest
| Crop | Frost tolerance | Start indoors | Plant out | First harvest | Fall planting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Tender | Feb 24 – Mar 10 | Apr 28 – May 5 | Jun 27 – Jul 17 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Feb 10 – Feb 24 | May 5 – May 12 | Jul 4 – Aug 3 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | Mar 24 – Mar 31 | Apr 28 – May 5 | Jun 17 – Jul 7 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Apr 28 – May 5 | Jun 12 – Jun 27 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Apr 28 – May 5 | Jun 17 – Jun 27 | Aug 16 – Aug 26 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Apr 21 – May 5 | Jun 20 – Jul 20 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Mar 10 – Mar 24 | Apr 28 – May 5 | May 28 – Jun 12 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Mar 10 – Mar 24 | Mar 24 – Apr 7 | May 8 – May 23 | Aug 2 – Aug 17 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Mar 10 – Mar 24 | May 4 – May 19 | Jul 23 – Aug 7 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Mar 10 – Mar 24 | Apr 19 – Apr 29 | Aug 12 – Aug 22 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Mar 31 – Apr 7 | May 30 – Jun 19 | Jul 13 – Aug 2 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Feb 24 – Mar 10 | Mar 24 – Apr 7 | May 18 – Jun 7 | Jul 18 – Aug 7 |
Data: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (public domain) and USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Planting windows synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides.
Frost & freeze dates
From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USW00054902. The median (p50) is the average date; the 90%-safe column is the date the freeze has passed in about 9 years out of 10 (p10 for spring, p90 for fall) — the conservative date to plant after or harvest before.
| Threshold | Last spring — avg | Last spring — 90%-safe | First fall — avg | First fall — 90%-safe | Season (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 2 | May 15 | Oct 3 | Oct 17 | 154 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Apr 21 | May 5 | Oct 15 | Oct 27 | 174 |
| 28°F | Apr 10 | Apr 26 | Oct 25 | Nov 6 | 196 |
| 24°F | Apr 2 | Apr 17 | Nov 3 | Nov 16 | 215 |
32°F is the standard "freeze" line that damages tender crops; lighter 36°F frost can nip the most cold-sensitive plants, while hardy crops shrug off light frost down toward 28°F. Use the threshold that matches what you are protecting.
Growing degree days
Growing degree days (GDD) accumulate warmth above a base temperature over the year — a better predictor of crop development than the calendar alone. Warm-season crops need a long, warm GDD total; a short, cool GDD total favors greens and brassicas.
| Model | °F·days | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Base 50°F (warm-season) | 3,131 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 5,291 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 5b
Mitchellville sits in USDA plant hardiness zone 5b on the 2023 map — meaning its average annual extreme minimum winter temperature is about −15 to −10 °F. That number tells you which perennials, shrubs, and trees reliably survive an average winter here; it does not set your planting dates, which come from the frost calendar above.
Explore more places in zone 5b, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What USDA hardiness zone is Mitchellville?
- Mitchellville, Iowa is in USDA plant hardiness zone 5b on the 2023 map (average annual extreme minimum temperature −15 to −10 °F) — from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. See the methodology page for sources.
- When is the last frost in Mitchellville?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around April 21, from NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals at the nearest reporting station. Roughly one year in ten the last frost is as late as May 5, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Mitchellville?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around October 15. That leaves a growing season of about 174 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Mitchellville?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Feb 24 – Mar 10 and transplant them outside about Apr 28 – May 5, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around Jun 27 – Jul 17.
- How long is the growing season in Mitchellville?
- About 174 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~April 21) and the average first fall frost (~October 15). Cold-hardy crops extend usable time at both ends; frost-tender crops fit inside it.
Sources & method
Frost, freeze, growing-season, and growing-degree-day figures are NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 for station USW00054902 (Des Moines 17 E, 3.6 km away). The hardiness zone is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. Planting windows are computed by counting from the average last and first frost using per-crop offsets synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides — the full method and citations are on the methodology page.