Oakville, IA 52646 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Oakville, IA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/14, about 229 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/24, about 190 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Oakville in Zone 5b (-15 to -10°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 8 weeks of growing season left in Oakville before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/14 isn't a guarantee
04/14 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. 05/02 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Oakville compares
About 190 days separate Oakville's last and first frost, putting it 21,319 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IA, it ranks 8 of 1,042.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Oakville can differ from the 52646 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Oakville's frost date answer different questions.