When to plant zucchini in Des Moines: 17 May – 10 August

In Des Moines, zucchini: sow for seedlings from 5 April to 20 July; plant into a greenhouse from 26 April to 10 August; plant out into open ground from 17 May to 10 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Vic Scott Landscaping and Nursery Center (garden centre, 9 km) and Earl May Garden Center (garden centre, 10 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Zucchini in Des Moines: soil, season and weather

In Des Moines the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 19 April, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the zucchini card — only around 17 May, 28 days later.

Last spring frost	19 April
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	17 May, 28 days after the last frost
First autumn frost	27 October, 163 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	36
First harvest, if planted in this window	22 June – 15 September
Days left for picking	127
Daylight	13:47 on 26 April, 14:35 on 17 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 3 days; the driest month, September, has 8 rainy days

The same dates in Des Moines hold for Cucumber, Bell Pepper, Eggplant, Pumpkin and Watermelon.

Zucchini in Des Moines: care after planting

Planted on 17 May: in the first weeks water every 4 days.

Pests and diseases of zucchini to watch for:

Weather in Des Moines during the zucchini season

About 603 mm of rain falls in the season; September is the driest month (84 mm) and May the wettest (125 mm).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	22.6	11.8	125	13	14:31
June	29	18.3	122	11	15:10
July	30	20	92	10	14:55
August	28.9	18.9	86	10	13:53
September	26.4	16.1	84	8	12:31
October	18.5	8.6	94	9	11:09

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Zucchini in nearby cities

Around Des Moines, Kansas City is 10 days earlier and Sioux Falls 7 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Cedar Rapids	165 km	20 May – 8 August	3 days later
Omaha	198 km	17 May – 9 August	same day
Davenport	250 km	17 May – 13 August	same day
Lincoln	271 km	11 May – 11 August	6 days earlier
Kansas City	290 km	7 May – 15 August	10 days earlier
Sioux Falls	334 km	24 May – 4 August	7 days later

Where to buy zucchini plants and seeds near Des Moines

Buy plants ready to set out from 17 May to 10 August (from 26 April to 10 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 5 April to 20 July. Within 15 km of Des Moines OpenStreetMap lists 7 garden centres (collected 20 October 2026).

Vic Scott Landscaping and Nursery Center — garden centre
Northeast 14th Avenue 6799, 50021 Ankeny · 9 km
Earl May Garden Center — garden centre
University Avenue 1845, 50266 · 10 km
Iowa Outdoor Products — garden centre
Whitson Drive 8616, 50322 · 11 km
Canoyer Garden Center — garden centre
Gateway Drive 3355, 50111 Grimes · 15 km

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