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.

The USDA zone info for West Des Moines can be reviewed to estimate when it's the best time to plant peanut.

Planting Calendar for Peanut

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

Since peanut are not cold tolerant you have to wait until after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant peanut in West 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. If you wait any later than that and your peanut may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your peanut indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

In West Des Moines the average date of last frost happens on April 15. It might get as low as -20°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for West Des Moines is not always accurate the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in West Des Moines it frosts late in the year after April 15 so just be sure to be ready to cover your peanut in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for West Des Moines

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 West Des Moines

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