Blanchard, IA 51630 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Blanchard, IA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/25, about 240 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/11, about 168 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Blanchard 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
About 6 weeks of growing season left in Blanchard 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
04/25 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. 05/07 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Blanchard compares
At roughly 168 frost-free days, Blanchard places 29,827 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within IA, it ranks 414 of 1,042.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Blanchard can differ from the 51630 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Blanchard's frost date answer different questions.