When to Plant Purple Bell Vines in Altoona, IA

One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out 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 Altoona you can determine when you can plant purple bell vines by referring to the USDA zone info.


Planting Calendar for Purple Bell Vines

Frost tolerance for purple bell vines: Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant: Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

You can plant purple bell vines slightly earlier in the year because they are one of those plants that can tolerate a tiny bit of cold weather.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant purple bell vines
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant purple bell vines
Probably not a good time to plant purple bell vines

The earliest that you can plant purple bell vines in Altoona is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant purple bell vines and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your purple bell vines may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your purple bell vines indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on April 15 in Altoona. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -20°F.

Always keep in mind that the actual date of last frost is not always accurate because it is based on the USDA zone info for Altoona and it will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Altoona you get a frost after April 15 so make sure that you are ready to protect your purple bell vines if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Altoona

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 Altoona

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