Ankeny, IA 50308 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Ankeny, IA?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/23, roughly 238 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/15, about 173 frost-free days later.
Ankeny sits in USDA Zone 5b (-15 to -10°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 7 weeks of growing season left in Ankeny before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/23 isn't a guarantee
04/23 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/08 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/06 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Ankeny compares
Ankeny's growing season runs about 173 days, ranking 27,695 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IA, it ranks 221 of 1,042.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Ankeny's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Ankeny can differ from the 50308 normal.