One of the first steps you take when you are estimating your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

The USDA zone info for Iowa City can be used to figure out when you can plant brussels sprouts.

Planting Calendar for Brussels Sprouts

Frost tolerance for brussels sprouts:	Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant:	Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

Since brussels sprouts are moderately cold tolerant you can plant them a little bit earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant brussels sprouts in Iowa City is February. However, you really should wait until March if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant brussels sprouts and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your brussels sprouts may not have a chance to fully mature. If you are starting your brussels sprouts indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Iowa City. It might get as low as -15°F during the coldest months of winter.

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for Iowa City is just an average and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Iowa City last frost occurs after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your brussels sprouts in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Iowa City

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 Iowa City

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Iowa City.