Princeton, IA 52768 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Princeton, IA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/22, about 237 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/16, about 175 frost-free days later.
Princeton sits in USDA Zone 5b (-15 to -10°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 7 weeks of growing season left in Princeton before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Princeton's last frost
04/22 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/09 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/08 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Princeton compares
About 175 days separate Princeton's last and first frost, putting it 27,097 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IA, it ranks 175 of 1,042.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Princeton can differ from the 52768 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Princeton's frost date answer different questions.