Ladora, IA 52251 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Ladora, IA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/28, about 243 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/10, about 165 frost-free days later.
Ladora sits in USDA Zone 5a (-20 to -15°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 6 weeks of growing season left in Ladora before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Ladora's last frost
04/28 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. 05/11 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Ladora compares
Ladora's growing season runs about 165 days, ranking 30,755 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IA, it ranks 552 of 1,042.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Ladora can differ from the 52251 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5a and Ladora's frost date answer different questions.