One of the first steps you take when you are making a decision about 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.

It's a good idea to determine when it's possible to plant erysimum by reviewing the USDA zone info for Decorah.

Planting Calendar for Erysimum

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

Since erysimum are moderately cold tolerant you can plant them a little bit earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant erysimum in Decorah 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 erysimum and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your erysimum may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your erysimum indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on May 15 in Decorah. It might get as low as -25°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Decorah is not always accurate the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Decorah last frost occurs after May 15 be ready to cover your erysimum if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Decorah

Here is the info for USDA Zone 4b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	May 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	September 15
Lowest Expected Low	-25°F
Highest Expected Low	-20°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -25°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -20°F.

Plants to Grow in Decorah

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