One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

You should be able to estimate when it's a good idea to plant artichokes by checking out the USDA zone info for Durango.

Planting Calendar for Artichokes

Frost tolerance for artichokes:	Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant:	Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

Artichokes can survive in some cold which tells us that you can plant them a little bit earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant artichokes in Durango is February. However, you really should wait until March if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant artichokes and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your artichokes may not have a chance to fully mature. If you are starting your artichokes indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on April 15 in Durango. You should expect an average low temperature of -10°F in the coldest months of winter.

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for Durango is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Durango last frost occurs after April 15 so just be sure to be ready to cover your artichokes if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Durango

Here is the info for USDA Zone 6a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-10°F
Highest Expected Low	-5°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -10°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -5°F.

Plants to Grow in Durango

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