FrostDateCheck

Boone, IA 50037 Frost Dates

When can you plant in Boone, IA?

Zone 5a

Around 04/28 is the usual last spring frost, about 243 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/12, about 165 frost-free days later.

Boone sits in USDA Zone 5a (-20 to -15°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.

What to do before the first frost

About 6 weeks of growing season left in Boone before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.

Why 04/28 isn't a guarantee

04/28 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/13 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/11 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.

How Boone compares

About 165 days separate Boone's last and first frost, putting it 30,522 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IA, it ranks 490 of 1,042.

Learn more

the frost range covers how to read the range around Boone's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Boone can differ from the 50037 normal.