Montrose, IA 52639 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Montrose, IA?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/12, roughly 227 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/25, about 194 frost-free days later.
Zone 6a (-10 to -5°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 Montrose, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 8 weeks of growing season left in Montrose 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
04/12 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/01 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/26 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Montrose compares
Montrose's growing season runs about 194 days, ranking 19,556 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IA, it ranks 6 of 1,042.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Montrose can differ from the 52639 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6a and Montrose's frost date answer different questions.