One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

A way of estimating when it's a good idea to plant leeks is to use the USDA zone info for Urbandale.

Planting Calendar for Leeks

Frost tolerance for leeks:	Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

Leeks do well in cold weather which tells us that you can plant them quite a bit earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant leeks in Urbandale 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 leeks and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your leeks may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your leeks indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on April 15 in Urbandale. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -20°F.

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Urbandale may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Urbandale there is a last frost after April 15 be ready to protect your leeks in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Urbandale

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-20°F
Highest Expected Low	-15°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -20°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -15°F.

Plants to Grow in Urbandale

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Urbandale.