Clive, IA 50325 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Clive, IA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/18, about 233 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/20, about 184 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 Clive, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 8 weeks of growing season left in Clive 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
04/18 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/04 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/02 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Clive compares
About 184 days separate Clive's last and first frost, putting it 23,451 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IA, it ranks 57 of 1,042.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Clive can differ from the 50325 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Clive's frost date answer different questions.