Growing Potatoes in Iowa: Dates, Varieties and Summer Heat
Iowa’s summer heat load is moderate, not severe: Des Moines averages 18.4 days a year at 90°F or hotter, well under the threshold that stalls a potato…
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.
Pepper Varieties That Ripen in a Iowa Season
Iowa peppers ripen reliably when growers start seed indoors 8 to 10 weeks before a late-April transplant date and manage a summer that averages 18.4 days…
Watering Through a Dry Spell in Iowa
Iowa’s driest summer month, July, averages 3.82 inches of rain, and the region sees 18.4 days a year at or above 90°F.
Watering Pots and Containers in Iowa
Iowa gardeners get a decent amount of summer rain on paper, about 13.2 inches from June through August, but July drops to just 3.82 inches while the…
Forcing Spring Bulbs Indoors in Iowa
Yes, forcing spring bulbs indoors works reliably in Iowa, and the state’s hard winters actually make it a smart trick rather than a gamble.
Growing Spring Bulbs in Containers in Iowa
Spring bulbs do fine in containers here, but the pot changes the rules. Iowa’s ground cold is more than enough for tulips, crocus, and daffodils to bloom…
Firewood in Iowa: Which Woods Your Winter Actually Needs
Iowa winters don’t ask a firewood buyer for taste. They ask for pounds. The state’s coldest month bottoms out at an average low of 13.8°F, and that…
Canning at Altitude in Iowa: What Your Elevation Changes
Des Moines sits at 873 feet above sea level, where water boils somewhere between 208°F and 212°F depending on the day’s barometric pressure.
When to Plant Onions in Iowa
In Iowa, timing depends entirely on where the sun sits in the sky, not on the calendar page.
The Best Onion Varieties for Iowa
Iowa gardeners can grow long-day onions with confidence, and most intermediate-day varieties too, but short-day onions are the wrong choice here.