When to Plant Trifolium in Ames, IA

One of the first steps you take when you are determining your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

By using the USDA zone info for Ames it's possible to estimate when it's the best time to plant trifolium.


Planting Calendar for Trifolium

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

Trifolium are one of those plants that can tolerate a tiny bit of cold weather which means that you can plant them slightly earlier than more sensitive plants.

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

The earliest that you can plant trifolium in Ames 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 trifolium and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your trifolium may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your trifolium indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Ames the average date of last frost happens on April 15. 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 is not always accurate because it is based on the USDA zone info for Ames and it will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Ames you get a frost after April 15 so be sure to be ready to protect your trifolium 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.