Martensdale, IA 50160 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Martensdale, IA, ZIP 50160
Around 04/24 is the usual last spring frost, about 239 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/12, about 168 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Martensdale in Zone 5b (-15 to -10°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 5b around Martensdale has about 6 weeks left before the first fall frost — that's the usual window to get a cold frame up if you want to keep harvesting past it.
The actual range around Martensdale's last frost
04/24 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/11 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/08 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Martensdale compares
Martensdale's growing season runs about 168 days, ranking 29,771 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IA, it ranks 389 of 1,042.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 5b and Martensdale's frost date answer different questions, and the frost range explains how to read the range around Martensdale's dates instead of trusting one.