Birmingham, IA 52535 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Birmingham, IA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/26, about 241 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/13, about 169 frost-free days later.
Zone 5b (-15 to -10°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 Birmingham, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 7 weeks of growing season left in Birmingham before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/26 isn't a guarantee
04/26 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/10 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 Birmingham compares
Birmingham's growing season runs about 169 days, ranking 29,587 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IA, it ranks 345 of 1,042.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Birmingham's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Birmingham can differ from the 52535 normal.