FrostDateCheck

Indianola, IL 61850 Frost Dates

When can you plant in Indianola, IL?

Zone 6a

Around 04/19 is the usual last spring frost, about 234 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/19, about 181 frost-free days later.

The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Indianola in Zone 6a (-10 to -5°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 7 weeks of growing season left in Indianola 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

04/19 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/04 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/03 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.

How Indianola compares

About 181 days separate Indianola's last and first frost, putting it 24,726 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IL, it ranks 946 of 1,548.

Learn more

local microclimates covers what one yard in Indianola can differ from the 61850 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6a and Indianola's frost date answer different questions.