One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea 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.

In Riverdale you can estimate when you can plant jerusalem artichokes by looking at the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Jerusalem artichokes

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

You can plant jerusalem artichokes a little earlier in the year because they are one of those plants that can tolerate a little bit of cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant jerusalem artichokes in Riverdale 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 jerusalem artichokes and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your jerusalem artichokes may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your jerusalem artichokes indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on March 15 in Riverdale. You can expect an average low temperature of 10°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Riverdale may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Riverdale last frost occurs after March 15 be ready to cover your jerusalem artichokes if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Riverdale

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	10°F
Highest Expected Low	15°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 15°F.

Plants to Grow in Riverdale

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