When Sweet Corn Is Ready in Iowa, and How Fast It Fades
Sweet corn in Iowa is ready roughly 60 to 90 days after planting, and planting waits for warm soil, not for the last frost.
Iowa
For homeowners and renters in Iowa: the planting calendar, the maintenance schedule and the local programs worth knowing about.
Gardening in Iowa
Everything we have worked out for Iowa: what to plant and when, which varieties finish in time, the pests that actually turn up here, and the jobs that pay off month by month. We also cover the rest of the property, from lawns and soil to home care and energy, because a garden rarely stops at the vegetable bed.
The numbers first, because everything else follows from them. Measured at the weather station in Des Moines, the last spring freeze runs April 12 to April 24 and the first fall freeze runs October 14 to October 25, USDA zones 4b-6a, 3,659 growing degree days in the year.
Garlic does well: 21.8 weeks below 40 °F, comfortably past the six it needs to form a proper head.
Elsewhere on the property in Iowa: the pests that turn up here.
Figures from NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals. A state is not one climate: elevation, a large lake or the coast can move these dates by two weeks either way, so check your own county with the extension service before you spend money.
When to Stop Cutting Asparagus in Iowa, and How to Keep the Spears
Stop cutting when most of the spears coming up are thinner than a pencil. That is a thing you can hold in your hand, not a date on the calendar.
Heat Pump or Gas Furnace in Iowa: Which Costs Less to Run?
A gas furnace costs less to run in Iowa. At average residential prices, a million Btu of heat from a 97% AFUE gas furnace costs $10.55, against $17.53…
How High to Mow a Lawn in Iowa
Most Iowa lawns are cool-season grass, and the right cut depends on which species you have. Tall fescue wants 3 to 3.5 inches.
When to Plant Grass Seed in Iowa
In Iowa, cool-season grass seed goes down best from late August into early September.
When to Dethatch a Lawn in Iowa
Most Iowa lawns do not need dethatching. If a spade-cut wedge shows more than 0.75 inch of spongy brown layer, the best window is early fall, when…
When to Aerate a Lawn in Iowa
Aerate an Iowa lawn in fall, while the grass is still growing and well before the first fall freeze shuts that growth down.
Growing Roses in Iowa: Planting Dates, Varieties and Local Pests
Growing roses in Iowa works best on a simple schedule. Plant bare-root roses in April as soon as the soil is workable, and set out container roses after…
When to Dig Up Dahlias, Cannas and Gladiolus in Iowa
In Iowa, dahlias, cannas and gladiolus come out of the ground every fall. The signal is a frost that blackens the foliage, and the job follows within one…
When to Winterize Sprinklers and Outdoor Faucets in Iowa
Do it before the first hard freeze, not after the first light one. In Iowa, that means finishing sprinkler and faucet work ahead of the first fall frost.