One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us determine your gardening schedule is the 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 Ames you can determine when you can plant bishop's weed by looking at the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Bishop's Weed

Frost tolerance for bishop's weed:	Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

Bishop's Weed can survive in pretty solid cold which tells us that you can plant them earlier in the year than other plants that might not handle the cold.

The earliest that you can plant bishop's weed in Ames 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 bishop's weed and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your bishop's weed may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your bishop's weed indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Ames. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -20°F.

It's important to remember that the actual date of last frost is an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Ames and it can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Ames it frosts late in the year after April 15 so always be ready to cover your bishop's weed in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Ames

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 Ames

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