Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to determine your garden schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

The USDA zone info for Ames can be reviewed to figure out when it's the best time to plant painted daisies.

Planting Calendar for Painted Daisies

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

Since painted daisies do well in moderate cold you can plant them just a bit earlier in the year than other plants that might not handle the cold.

The earliest that you can plant painted daisies 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 painted daisies and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your painted daisies may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your painted daisies indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

Just be sure to remember that the actual date of last frost is just an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Ames and it is different every year. Since half of the time in Ames you get surprised by a frost after April 15 be ready to protect your painted daisies 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.