Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to determine your garden schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

You will be able to figure out when it's possible to plant peanut by referring to the USDA zone info for Des Moines.

Planting Calendar for Peanut

Frost tolerance for peanut:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

It's not a good idea to plant peanut until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they do not do well in cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant peanut in Des Moines is April. However, you really should wait until May if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant peanut and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your peanut may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your peanut indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on April 15 in Des Moines. You should expect an average low temperature of -15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Remember that USDA zone info for Des Moines is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Des Moines there is a last frost after April 15 so just be sure to be ready to cover your peanut if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Des Moines

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-15°F
Highest Expected Low	-10°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -15°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -10°F.

Plants to Grow in Des Moines

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Des Moines.