When to plant · 14 cities · zones 5a–5b
When to plant cilantro in Iowa
Direct sow cilantro around Apr 14 — the Iowa statewide median, counted from a last spring frost of Apr 28 across 964 ZIP codes and 160 NOAA stations.
The rule: Direct sow in 60–70 °F soil, a short row every two weeks from four weeks before the last frost until the heat arrives, then again from late summer.
Iowa cilantro, by step
Statewide median last frost Apr 28, first fall frost Oct 10, 2027 season. Each cultivar's own indoor lead time and days to maturity, same engine as the Plan Builder.
| Cultivar | Start indoors | Sow | First harvest | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CilantroSlow Bolt (Coriandrum sativum) | Direct sow | Apr 14 | May 29 | 45 from sow |
Tight means first harvest lands within two weeks of the median first fall frost. Statewide dates are the ZIP-weighted median of every NOAA 1991–2020 station Iowa's ZIP codes resolve to.
Cilantro in Iowa, city by city
Cilantro, scheduled from each city's nearest NOAA station — the same dates as its frost page.
| City | Last frost | Sow | First harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moineszone 5b | Apr 18 | Apr 4 | May 19 |
| Cedar Rapidszone 5b | Apr 28 | Apr 14 | May 29 |
| Davenportzone 5b | Apr 23 | Apr 9 | May 24 |
| Sioux Cityzone 5a | Apr 29 | Apr 15 | May 30 |
| Ankenyzone 5b | Apr 23 | Apr 9 | May 24 |
| Iowa Cityzone 5b | Apr 21 | Apr 7 | May 22 |
| West Des Moineszone 5b | Apr 18 | Apr 4 | May 19 |
| Ameszone 5b | Apr 26 | Apr 12 | May 27 |
| Waterloozone 5a | Apr 27 | Apr 13 | May 28 |
| Council Bluffszone 5b | Apr 18 | Apr 4 | May 19 |
| Dubuquezone 5a | Apr 19 | Apr 5 | May 20 |
| Urbandalezone 5b | Apr 18 | Apr 4 | May 19 |
| Marionzone 5a | Apr 28 | Apr 14 | May 29 |
| Cedar Fallszone 5a | Apr 27 | Apr 13 | May 28 |
What these cilantro become
What Iowa cilantro need
Cilantro / Coriander Seed
Bolts in a heartbeat and there is nothing you can do about it — so you succession-sow instead of fighting it. Non-negotiable in salsa verde and zhoug.
Organic Seed Starter Potting MixMust have
Seed-starting mix is not potting soil with a nicer label — it is finer, lighter, and low in nutrients on purpose, because a seedling's first roots want air and moisture, not fertiliser.
Ocean Forest Potting SoilMust have
Pre-charged with enough nutrition to carry a transplant for its first month without feeding, which is exactly the window when most container plants stall.
5-Gallon Fabric Grow Bags, 5-Pack
Fabric pots air-prune roots and drain faster than a plastic pot can, which is the entire reason container tomatoes fail. Five gallons is the honest minimum for a pepper; a tomato wants ten.
AG-30 Frost Protection Row Cover
AG-30 buys roughly 6 °F of frost protection while passing about 70% of light — enough to carry a crop through an early-October cold snap that would otherwise end your season two weeks short.
6" Micro-Tip Pruning SnipsMust have
Ninety percent of sauce-garden cutting is snipping a pepper stem or a basil node, and a fine-tipped snip does it better than any pruner. Pulling peppers by hand tears the branch.
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Cilantro in Iowa: questions
When should I plant cilantro in Iowa?
Direct sow around Apr 14 at the statewide median; across the state that date runs from Apr 6 in the warmest tenth of Iowa's ZIP codes to Apr 19 in the coldest. To cut the freeze risk to one year in ten, count from May 11 instead of the median last frost. Use the city table for your own town.
When is the last frost in Iowa?
The ZIP-weighted median of NOAA 1991–2020 station medians is Apr 28. In the warmest tenth of Iowa's ZIP codes the median last frost falls on or before Apr 20; in the coldest tenth, on or after May 3.
When will Iowa cilantro be ready to harvest?
Cilantro planted on the statewide date is ready around May 29: 45 days from sow.
More for Iowa
- When to plant tomatoes
- When to plant peppers
- When to plant tomatillos
- When to plant basil
- When to plant onions
- When to plant carrots
- When to plant mustard greens
Cilantro in every state → · Iowa frost dates → · How frost-date math works →