When to plant zucchini in Cedar Rapids: 20 May – 8 August

In Cedar Rapids, zucchini: sow for seedlings from 8 April to 18 July; plant into a greenhouse from 29 April to 8 August; plant out into open ground from 20 May to 8 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Earl May Garden Center (garden centre, 9 km) and Blooms Garden Center (garden centre, 9 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Zucchini in Cedar Rapids: soil, season and weather

In Cedar Rapids the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 22 April, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the zucchini card — only around 20 May, 28 days later.

Last spring frost	22 April
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	20 May, 28 days after the last frost
First autumn frost	25 October, 158 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	36
First harvest, if planted in this window	25 June – 13 September
Days left for picking	122
Daylight	13:56 on 29 April, 14:42 on 20 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 3 days; the driest month, September, has 8 rainy days

The same dates in Cedar Rapids hold for Cucumber, Bell Pepper, Eggplant, Pumpkin and Watermelon.

Zucchini in Cedar Rapids: care after planting

Planted on 20 May: in the first weeks water every 4 days.

Pests and diseases of zucchini to watch for:

Weather in Cedar Rapids during the zucchini season

About 582 mm of rain falls in the season; September is the driest month (81 mm) and May the wettest (115 mm).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	21.9	11.1	115	13	14:33
June	28	17.5	114	10	15:13
July	28.6	19.2	84	11	14:57
August	27.6	18.1	91	10	13:54
September	25.2	15.2	81	8	12:32
October	17.6	8.1	97	10	11:08

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Zucchini in nearby cities

Around Cedar Rapids, Springfield is 5 days earlier and Rockford 8 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Davenport	100 km	17 May – 13 August	3 days earlier
Des Moines	165 km	17 May – 10 August	3 days earlier
Rockford	219 km	28 May – 11 August	8 days later
Madison	224 km	28 May – 10 August	8 days later
Peoria	224 km	18 May – 14 August	2 days earlier
Springfield	295 km	15 May – 15 August	5 days earlier

Where to buy zucchini plants and seeds near Cedar Rapids

Buy plants ready to set out from 20 May to 8 August (from 29 April to 8 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 8 April to 18 July. Within 15 km of Cedar Rapids OpenStreetMap lists 5 garden centres, 3 markets and 1 farm shop (collected 28 October 2026).

Cedar Rapids African and Oriental Market — market
Wiley Boulevard Southwest 2000, 52404 Cedar Rapids · 4 km
MHM Ranch — farm shop
East Bertram Road 1443, 52403 Cedar Rapids · 14 km
Earl May Garden Center — garden centre
Northland Avenue Northeast 5155, 52402 Cedar Rapids · Mon–Sat 09:00–18:00; Sun 12:00–17:00 · 9 km · earlmay.com
Blooms Garden Center — garden centre
Blairs Ferry Road Northeast 1440 · Mon–Sat 09:00–17:00; Sun 11:00–16:00 · 9 km · bloomsgardencenter.com

Each window starts on the Greenly calendar date and ends on the last day that still leaves the crop’s days to harvest (from its card) before the average first autumn frost, plus six weeks of picking for crops harvested over weeks (tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, cucumbers, courgettes, pumpkins, watermelons, beans) — our rule; earlier in the window is safer.

Questions