Russell, IA 50238 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Russell, IA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/05, about 250 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/05, about 151 frost-free days later.
Zone 5b (-15 to -10°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 Russell, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 5 weeks of growing season left in Russell before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 05/05 isn't a guarantee
05/05 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/21 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/19 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Russell compares
At roughly 151 frost-free days, Russell places 35,134 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within IA, it ranks 978 of 1,042.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Russell can differ from the 50238 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Russell's frost date answer different questions.