The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us determine your gardening schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

The first opportunity to plant radishes in West Des Moines can be estimated by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Radishes

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

Radishes tend to make it in pretty solid cold which means that you can plant them quite a bit earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant radishes in West Des Moines 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. If you wait any later than that and your radishes may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your radishes indoors.

Last Frost Date

In West Des Moines 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.

Remember that the actual date of last frost is just an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for West Des Moines and it can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in West Des Moines you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so just be sure to be ready to cover your radishes if you have 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.