Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to figure out 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.

The first chance to plant neeps in Iowa City should be figured out by checking out the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Neeps

Frost tolerance for neeps:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

It's probably a bad idea to plant neeps until after all chance of frost has passed because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant neeps in Iowa City 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 neeps and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your neeps may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your neeps indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Iowa City. You should expect an average low temperature of -15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Iowa City is an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Iowa City there is a last frost after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your neeps if you have 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.