When to plant spinach in Des Moines
Spinach is cold-hardy, so every date keys off Des Moines's frost dates of Apr 17.
Step 1 · Sow
Direct sow outdoors
Mar 24 – Apr 14
Sow straight into warm, workable soil.
Step 2 · Harvest
Harvest window
May 3 – May 13
Picking runs until conditions turn against the crop.
Step 3 · Second sowing
Autumn / second sowing
Aug 6 – Aug 20
A second window for a fall crop, timed to mature before the first frost.
Step 4 · Second harvest
Autumn crop harvest
Sep 22 – Oct 2
Maturity window for the second sowing.
Window
Days to maturity
40 – 50 d
Des Moines's 179-day season leaves this much room.
Spinach on Des Moines's growing year
Frost-bounded season with crops mapped onto the 12-month axis.
Frost risk Growing Harvest
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
FROST
FROST
APR 17
OCT 16
Common questions
When can I sow spinach outdoors in Des Moines?
Direct-sow around late March (Mar 24–Apr 14) in Des Moines, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 86%.
When will spinach be ready to harvest in Des Moines?
Expect to harvest from around early May (May 3–May 13) in Des Moines, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 80%.
Can I plant spinach in autumn in Des Moines?
Yes — Des Moines supports a second, autumn sowing of spinach around early August (Aug 6–Aug 20), timed to mature before the first fall frost.
How long is the growing season in Des Moines?
Des Moines has roughly 179 frost-free days, which is enough time to grow spinach to maturity outdoors.
The rule of thumb
Sow spinach as soon as the soil is workable — it tolerates cool weather and light frost. Every date on this page is derived from that rule and Des Moines's frost dates.
Confidence 89/100 · Curated · based on NOAA GHCN-Daily 1991–2020 normal · frost dates are probabilities, not guarantees.