One of the first steps you take when you are estimating your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

You should be able to figure out when you can plant romanesco by referring to the USDA zone info for Sterling.

Planting Calendar for Romanesco

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

Romanesco are moderately cold tolerant which means that you can start planting them earlier than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant romanesco in Sterling 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 romanesco and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your romanesco may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your romanesco indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Sterling. It might get as low as -20°F during the coldest months of winter.

Keep in mind that the actual date of last frost is just an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Sterling and it will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Sterling you get a frost after April 15 be ready to cover your romanesco if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Sterling

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 Sterling

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