Frost Report

All states Iowa

Frost dates for Corydon, IA

When the last spring frost and first fall frost usually come, and when to plant, from 30 years of NOAA weather records.

Last spring frost

April 21

typical year

Safe to plant

May 6

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

October 19

typical year

Growing season

178 days

frost-free, typical year

When to plant

Counted from this page's frost dates. Warm-season crops wait for the safe-to-plant date.

CropStart indoorsPlant outsideFall planting
Cool-season crops
Peas – Mar 24 – Apr 7 –
Spinach – Mar 10 – 31 Aug 24 – Sep 7
Lettuce – Mar 24 – Apr 14 Aug 24 – Sep 7
Radishes – Mar 24 – May 5 Sep 7 – 21
Onions – Mar 24 – Apr 7 –
Potatoes – Mar 31 – Apr 14 –
Carrots – Mar 31 – Apr 21 Jul 27 – Aug 10
Beets – Mar 24 – Apr 7 Aug 10 – 24
Kale Feb 10 – 24 Mar 24 – Apr 7 Aug 10 – 24
Broccoli Feb 10 – 24 Apr 7 – 21 Aug 10 – 24
Cabbage Jan 27 – Feb 10 Mar 24 – Apr 7 Aug 10 – 24
Garlic – – Sep 7 – 28
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Mar 11 – 25 May 6 – 20 –
Peppers Mar 4 – 18 May 13 – 27 –
Cucumbers – May 6 – 27 –
Zucchini – May 6 – Jun 3 –
Pumpkins – May 6 – 27 –
Green beans – May 6 – Aug 10 –
Sweet corn – May 6 – Jun 3 –
Basil Apr 1 – 15 May 13 – 20 –

Onions: from sets. Green beans: until 10 weeks before the first fall frost. Garlic: harvest next summer.

The year at a glance

Start indoors Plant outside Fall planting

The chance of frost, by date

1 year in 10Half of years9 years in 10
Spring frost after May 6April 21April 7
Fall frost before October 3October 19October 29

Frost here means 32°F or colder. Read across: in 1 year in 10, spring frost carries on past the first date, which is why that date is the safe-to-plant date.

Hard freeze (28°F)

A hard freeze kills most garden plants, even hardy ones. The last one in spring usually comes around April 11 (April 25 in a late year), and the first one in fall around October 27.

Towns that use these dates

This is the nearest NOAA station with frost records for 8 towns.

Corydon, Allerton, Lineville, Promise City, Clio, Powersville, MO, Millerton, South Lineville, MO

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station ALLERTON, IA US (USC00130149), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 6 zip codes, all within 13 miles:

50008, 50052, 50060, 50165, 52590, 64672

Planting dates follow common university extension advice; your local extension service can fine-tune them for your soil and microclimate.