Vining, IA 52348 Frost Dates
52348, near Vining, IA: the frost window
Around 04/28 is the usual last spring frost, about 243 days away. Fall's first freeze usually shows up around 10/10, roughly 165 days after the last spring frost.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Vining in Zone 5a (-20 to -15°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
Stretching the season past the first frost
Vining's growing season runs out in roughly 6 weeks — a cold frame or greenhouse kit is the usual way to keep cool-weather crops going past the first frost.
How much risk comes with planting early here
04/28 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Getting tender plants in by 04/14 carries real risk, frost has hit that late in about 9 of 10 years here. Wait until 05/11 and only about 1 year in 10 sees frost after that.
Vining against the rest of the dataset
Vining's growing season runs about 165 days, ranking 30,790 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IA, it ranks 571 of 1,042.
Learn more
Two guides worth reading on 52348: local microclimates, on what one yard in Vining can differ from the 52348 normal, and zone vs. frost date, on why Zone 5a and Vining's frost date answer different questions.