When to plant potatoes in zone 5a
In zone 5a, where the last spring frost typically comes around May 3, sow outdoors April 28 to May 5.
The zone 5a schedule for potatoes
- Sow outdoors
- April 28 to May 5
- Soil warm enough (50°F), about
- April 28
- First harvest, roughly
- July 22 to September 2
From the median frost dates of the NOAA stations assigned to the 2,200 ZIP codes in zone 5a, and the timing recommended by Cooperative Extension guides for potatoes.
Dates before the last frost assume the soil has thawed and is dry enough to work: a squeezed handful crumbles instead of sticking. After a late or wet spring, wait for that even if the date has passed.
Frost risk in zone 5a
Zones are based on winter cold, not on frost dates, so the last spring frost varies a lot within a zone. Across zone 5a, the typical last frost ranges from about April 27 in the earliest tenth of ZIP codes to May 21 in the latest tenth, and the first fall frost from September 25 to October 13. For a typical place in the zone:
- April 20Risky: a later frost happens in 9 years out of 10
- May 3Typical: frost after this date in half of years
- May 17Safe: a later frost only 1 year in 10
Your dates for potatoes
Set your ZIP code at the top of the page and we will work out when to plant potatoes where you live, from the frost records of the nearest NOAA weather station. Your ZIP code is remembered on this device only.
Potatoes in zone 5a cities
| City | Typical last frost | Plant | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis, MN | Apr 23 | Apr 25 to May 2 | — |
| St. Paul, MN | Apr 23 | Apr 25 to May 2 | — |
| Anchorage, AK | May 5 | May 23 to 30 | — |
| Sioux Falls, SD | May 1 | Apr 23 to 30 | — |
| Cedar Rapids, IA | Apr 28 | Apr 14 to 21 | — |
| Billings, MT | May 10 | May 2 to 9 | — |
| Bloomington, MN | Apr 23 | Apr 22 to 29 | — |
| Sioux City, IA | Apr 29 | Apr 19 to 26 | — |
| Brooklyn Park, MN | Apr 30 | Apr 26 to May 3 | — |
| Woodbury, MN | Apr 24 | Apr 23 to 30 | — |
| Plymouth, MN | Apr 29 | Apr 25 to May 2 | — |
| Blaine, MN | Apr 30 | Apr 26 to May 3 | — |
How to grow potatoesAll zonesPotatoes in zone 4bPotatoes in zone 5bAbout zone 5a
Sources
- Potato (HGIC 1317) · Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center
- How to Grow Potatoes in Your Garden · Utah State University Extension
- Easy Gardening: Irish Potatoes (EHT-068) · Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
- Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide (SP 103/VH021) · UF/IFAS Extension
- Vegetable Planting Calendar for Maricopa County (AZ1005) · University of Arizona Cooperative Extension
- Solanum tuberosum · NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
- Types of Containers for Growing Vegetables · University of Maryland Extension
- Grow Potatoes in a Trash Can · UGA Cooperative Extension, DeKalb County