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When to Plant Shasta Daisys in Ames, IA

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.

By looking at the USDA zone info for Ames you should be able to determine when it's a good idea to plant shasta daisys.


Planting Calendar for Shasta Daisys

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

Since shasta daisys are one of those plants that can tolerate a little bit of cold weather you can plant them a little bit earlier in the year than plants that are more sensitive to the cold.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant shasta daisys
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant shasta daisys
Probably not a good time to plant shasta daisys

The earliest that you can plant shasta daisys 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 shasta daisys and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your shasta daisys may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your shasta daisys indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on April 15 in Ames. It might get as low as -20°F during the coldest months of winter.

Always keep in mind that the actual date of last frost may not be accurate from year to year because it is based on the USDA zone info for Ames and it will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Ames it frosts late in the year after April 15 be ready to protect your shasta daisys in the event of a 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.