Boone, IA 50099 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Boone, IA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/28, about 243 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/12, about 165 frost-free days later.
Zone 5a (-20 to -15°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Boone, not a forecast for this year.
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.
How much risk comes with planting early here
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 30,523 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IA, it ranks 491 of 1,042.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Boone can differ from the 50099 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5a and Boone's frost date answer different questions.