When to Plant Cabbage in Iowa
Iowa spans USDA hardiness 4b to 6a (zones 4b to 6a on this page). Plant cabbage by your local frost date, not the calendar — pick your zone below for exact start-indoors, transplant, and harvest dates.
Jump to: Zone 4b · Zone 5a · Zone 5b · Zone 6a
Cabbage planting calendar for Iowa, Zone 4b
Average last spring frost
May 10
Average first fall frost
September 25
spring planting
Start seeds indoors
Mar 29
Transplant outdoors
Apr 26
Projected first harvest
Jul 20
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Jun 5
Transplant outdoors
Jul 10
Projected first harvest
Oct 3
spring planting
fall planting
Most cabbage mature in about 60 to 160 days depending on the variety. Full zone 4 guide (both 4a and 4b) →
Cabbage planting calendar for Iowa, Zone 5a
Average last spring frost
May 5
Average first fall frost
October 1
spring planting
Start seeds indoors
Mar 24
Transplant outdoors
Apr 21
Projected first harvest
Jul 15
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Jun 11
Transplant outdoors
Jul 16
Projected first harvest
Oct 9
spring planting
fall planting
Most cabbage mature in about 60 to 160 days depending on the variety. Full zone 5 guide (both 5a and 5b) →
Cabbage planting calendar for Iowa, Zone 5b
Average last spring frost
April 30
Average first fall frost
October 5
spring planting
Start seeds indoors
Mar 19
Transplant outdoors
Apr 16
Projected first harvest
Jul 10
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Jun 15
Transplant outdoors
Jul 20
Projected first harvest
Oct 13
spring planting
fall planting
Most cabbage mature in about 60 to 160 days depending on the variety. Full zone 5 guide (both 5a and 5b) →
Cabbage planting calendar for Iowa, Zone 6a
Average last spring frost
April 25
Average first fall frost
October 10
spring planting
Start seeds indoors
Mar 14
Transplant outdoors
Apr 11
Projected first harvest
Jul 5
fall planting
Start seeds indoors
Jun 20
Transplant outdoors
Jul 25
Projected first harvest
Oct 18
spring planting
fall planting
Most cabbage mature in about 60 to 160 days depending on the variety. Full zone 6 guide (both 6a and 6b) →
Not sure which half-zone you're in? Set your ZIP in HomeSown for dates tuned to your exact location.
Varieties to grow
5 varieties of cabbage in the HomeSown library. Tap any for its full grow guide.
Common problems with cabbage
What to watch for, with identification and treatment for each
🌱 Grow cabbage with a calendar built for your exact yard
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