One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

The best time to plant alternanthera in Ankeny should be figured out by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Alternanthera

Frost tolerance for alternanthera:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost has passed.

It's not a good idea to plant alternanthera until after the last frost because they do not do well in cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant alternanthera in Ankeny is April. However, you really should wait until May if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant alternanthera and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your alternanthera may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your alternanthera indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on April 15 in Ankeny. It might get as low as -20°F during the coldest months of winter.

Just be sure to remember that USDA zone info for Ankeny is just an average and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Ankeny it frosts late in the year after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your alternanthera if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Ankeny

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-20°F
Highest Expected Low	-15°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -20°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -15°F.

Plants to Grow in Ankeny

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Ankeny.