When to Plant Snapdragons in West Des Moines, IA

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

You will be able to figure out when it's possible to plant snapdragons by referring to the USDA zone info for West Des Moines.


Planting Calendar for Snapdragons

Frost tolerance for snapdragons: Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant: Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

You can plant snapdragons a little earlier in the year because they are moderately cold tolerant.

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

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

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in West Des Moines. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -20°F.

Since the USDA zone info for West Des Moines is just an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in West Des Moines last frost occurs after April 15 be ready to cover your snapdragons 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.