Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
salal (zones 8-13) does not overlap with Iowa's zone range (4b-6a). Growing outdoors is unlikely without significant protection.
2 zones short — what would close it
Salal is hardy to zone 8, and the warmest ground in Iowa is zone 6 — 2 zones short. Planted in open ground it will not survive a Iowa winter. To grow it here, grow salal under glass — a greenhouse is the only lift this wide the engine models.
A greenhouse is the lift this needs. How a greenhouse changes what you can grow →
Zone math from 8-13 (plant) against 4-6 (Iowa). Lift modeled by crop_engine Sprint 20B effective_zone_modifier (+2 zones) via api/fast_sections.py Unlock Engine v2.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Iowa spans zones 4b-6a, but your yard sits in exactly one — and slope, tree cover, and cold-air pockets nudge it further. Enter your address and we'll score salal against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
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Zone Comparison
Salal Needs
- USDA Zones: 8-13
- Frost-Free Days: 200+
- Sun: Shade
- Mature size: 5 ft tall
- Drought tolerance: Low
Iowa Has
- USDA Zones: 4b-6a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Apr 10 - Apr 17
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Oct 18 - Oct 23
- Annual Rainfall: 26-36 inches
- Common Soils: Prairie loess, Silt loam, Clay loam
Plant Zone Range (zones 8-13)
Preferred Soil pH
Plant data: USDA PLANTS Database / Growable Ground plant catalog. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Salal in Iowa
The frost window
Across Iowa, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 10 and Apr 17, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 18 and Oct 23 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 184-day window you can count on — up to 196 days on a mild site in a kind year. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost, so tender transplants usually wait another 2-3 weeks.
Winter standing
Iowa runs as cold as USDA zone 4, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for salal, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether salal is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Iowa; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.
Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Howard County, not the statewide average.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: USDA PLANTS Database. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.
Growing Season Fit
The zone check says salal does not survive a Iowa winter in the ground. The season figures below measure a different question — whether it could finish a season here at all — and they only bear on Iowa under protection.
Frost-free days
Salal wants 200+ frost-free days; a typical Iowa site sees ~189 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020) — 11 days short of what it needs. A typical Iowa season does not carry this crop to harvest outdoors, and a gap that size is not one an earlier sowing date or a faster cultivar closes; growing it here means growing it under cover.
Chill hours
Salal requires ~400 chill hours (32-45°F dormancy window). Iowa typically banks ~2500 chill hours per winter (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), which keeps this plant on track.
GDD and chill-hour figures are computed from PRISM 1991-2020 monthly climate normals; frost-free days from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Each is the state median across its counties (P25/P75 span the within-state spread). Hardiness-zone range is USDA PHZM 2023.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Salal likes near-neutral soil (pH 5.5-7). That's the common-ground band across Iowa's prairie loess and silt loam — a soil test confirms it for your site.
Your land, not the state average
Iowa's soils run mostly silty clay loam, but SSURGO maps the series, texture, and drainage under your exact parcel. What matters for salal is the horizon its roots actually work, not the surface. That map unit, not the state average, decides how salal performs.
Check your parcel → Source: USDA NRCS SSURGO.
Plant pH and drainage requirements from USDA PLANTS Database. Iowa soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Salal in Iowa — Quick Answer
- Verdict: Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
- Plant Zones: 8-13 (USDA PLANTS Database)
- State Zones: 4b-6a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
- Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about Apr 10 - Apr 17 to Oct 18 - Oct 23 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)
What Else to Consider for Salal in Iowa
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Iowa growers also need to think about:
Cold winters reaching -20F or below
Variable spring weather delays planting
Wind exposure on open prairies desiccates plants
Growing salal here specifically
Salal needs pH 5.5–7.0; Iowa's dominant silty clay loam soils may or may not deliver that, so your parcel's SSURGO map unit is the real test.
Start with a soil test on your own ground and adjust pH and texture to fit salal's 5.5–7.0 range. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Iowa grower, not just salal — is covered on the Iowa growing guide.
Timing shifts within Iowa
Iowa isn't one climate. In Howard County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about Apr 24 — roughly 10 days later than the recorded state median — so plant salal to your county's window, not the statewide date.
Salal needs about 200 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. 18 of Iowa’s 99 counties give it that outright. The tightest that does is Jasper County at 200 frost-free days — 0 to spare. Below that line you are transplanting or extending the season, not direct-sowing.
County last-freeze dates and frost-free day counts: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). Salal's 200-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Salal draws native bees (moderate value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, salal can only work that bloom inside Iowa's frost window — roughly 189 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Apr 10 - Apr 17) and closing at the first (Oct 18 - Oct 23), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Iowa Cooperative Extension
For Iowa-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for salal, the canonical source is Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Salal native to Iowa?
Salal is native to parts of the Lower 48, but the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) does not document a native range in Iowa. It can still earn a place in a Iowa garden — the zone comparison above tells you whether it will thrive.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Iowa growing guide lists USDA-documented natives for the state.
Native-range data: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution records, accessed 2026-07-01.
Common Questions About Growing Salal in Iowa
When can I plant Salal in Iowa?
Iowa's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 10 and Apr 17, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 18 and Oct 23 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Salal, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Iowa and publishes no fall establishment date for it — check its hardiness range against your own zone before treating it as a permanent planting.
What hardiness zone is Salal grown in across Iowa?
Iowa spans USDA hardiness zones 4b-6a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Salal carries a range of zones 8-13, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Iowa site have?
A typical Iowa site sees ~189 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Salal needs 200+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date. In cooler counties like Howard, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.
Is Salal native to Iowa?
Salal is native to parts of the Lower 48, but the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) does not document a native range in Iowa. It can still earn a place in a Iowa garden — the zone comparison above tells you whether it will thrive.
How should I amend the soil for Salal in Iowa?
Salal prefers pH 5.5-7 (USDA PLANTS). That sits in the common-ground band across Iowa soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Salal actually grow on my specific land in Iowa?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores salal against your address's exact soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in Iowa
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores salal against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Iowa salal averages can't show:
We read public map data around Iowa — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Iowa salal average
Explore More
Growing guides for salal
Analysis by the Growable Ground research team, grounded in USDA PLANTS, USDA NRCS SSURGO, NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020), and named Cooperative Extension sources. How we know →
Cite this dataset
Kirchick, M. (2026). Growable Ground Plant Database [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21435643
Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21435643
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