Fairbank, IA 50629 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Fairbank, IA?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/30, roughly 245 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/09, about 163 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Fairbank in Zone 5a (-20 to -15°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
About 6 weeks of growing season left in Fairbank before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Fairbank's last frost
04/30 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/14 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/13 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Fairbank compares
Fairbank's growing season runs about 163 days, ranking 31,451 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IA, it ranks 667 of 1,042.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Fairbank can differ from the 50629 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5a and Fairbank's frost date answer different questions.