Fairfax, IA 52228 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Fairfax, IA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/27, about 242 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/11, about 165 frost-free days later.
Zone 5a (-20 to -15°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 Fairfax, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 6 weeks of growing season left in Fairfax 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
04/27 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/13 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/11 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Fairfax compares
At roughly 165 frost-free days, Fairfax places 30,581 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within IA, it ranks 498 of 1,042.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Fairfax can differ from the 52228 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5a and Fairfax's frost date answer different questions.