When to Plant Radishes in Waterloo, IA

Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to estimate your garden schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

You will be able to estimate when it's possible to plant radishes by referring to the USDA zone info for Waterloo.


Planting Calendar for Radishes

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

Radishes do well in cold which tells us that you can plant them much earlier than more sensitive plants.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant radishes
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant radishes
Probably not a good time to plant radishes

The earliest that you can plant radishes in Waterloo 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 radishes and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your radishes may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your radishes indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Waterloo the average date of last frost happens on April 15. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -20°F.

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for Waterloo may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Waterloo you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so always be ready to cover your radishes in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Waterloo

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 Waterloo

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