The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

The USDA zone info for Ottawa can be looked at to determine when you can plant asparagus fern.

Planting Calendar for Asparagus Fern

Frost tolerance for asparagus fern:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

You really shouldn't plant asparagus fern until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they do not do well in cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant asparagus fern in Ottawa 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 asparagus fern and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your asparagus fern may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your asparagus fern indoors.

Last Frost Date

In Ottawa the average date of last frost happens on April 15. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Keep in mind that the actual date of last frost is just an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Ottawa and it changes from year to year. Half of the time in Ottawa last frost occurs after April 15 so just be sure to be ready to cover your asparagus fern in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Ottawa

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-15°F
Highest Expected Low	-10°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -15°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -10°F.

Plants to Grow in Ottawa

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