Skip to content

Start Here
- Plant By State/County
- Plant By Zone
Shop
Blog
About Us
Contact Us

Blog

🔍

Home
Planting Guide
December
Iowa

What to Plant in December in Iowa

Here's what you can plant in Iowa during December. Since Iowa spans multiple USDA zones, planting dates vary by location. Find your zone below.

Share this guide:

r/vegetablegardening r/gardening Pin it Facebook X

Zone 4b

View full Zone 4b planting guide for December

Harvest

Garlic

Zone 5a

View full Zone 5a planting guide for December

Harvest

Garlic

Zone 5b

View full Zone 5b planting guide for December

Harvest

Garlic

Zone 6a

View full Zone 6a planting guide for December

Harvest

Garlic

Share this guide:

r/vegetablegardening r/gardening Pin it Facebook X

Share this guide:

r/vegetablegardening r/gardening Pin it Facebook X

Data sources: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023), NOAA 30-Year Climate Normals. Last updated: June 2026.

Sources & credits

Every number on this page traces back to a primary horticulture or government data source. Click through to verify.

Plant varieties + growing data

USDA PLANTS Database government
UMass Extension Vegetable Program extension
Cornell Cooperative Extension extension
UC Agriculture & Natural Resources — Vegetable Research & Information Center extension
Clemson Cooperative Extension Home & Garden Information Center extension
Rodale Institute research nonprofit
KidsGardening.org research nonprofit
National 4-H Council — School & Youth Gardens research nonprofit
PRISM/Oregon State per-ZIP USDA 2023 Zones academic

Soil survey + temperature data

USDA Soil Data Access REST API government
USDA Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO) government
NOAA NWS NOWData government

Drought monitoring

US Drought Monitor academic

Household-consumption benchmarks

USDA Food Consumption Surveys (WWEIA / NHANES) government

Derived

USDA Hardiness Zone Template derived

Other

Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder
NC State Extension
OpenFarm Crop Database
University of Minnesota Extension
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Frost dates

NOAA Global Historical Climatology Network (daily) government

Modeling

Regional Template (Modeled) internal

Precipitation + climate normals

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020) government

Curated

SouthTech Creations Curated internal

Pest + disease pressure

USDA Regional IPM Centers government

Local extension offices

USDA Land-Grant University Directory government

Daylight hours + sun data

U.S. Naval Observatory / Astronomical Almanac government

Follow us online

Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions

Search for:

Wait — grab your free county-specific planner

22 pages, personalized to your ZIP · instant download