One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

The first chance to plant tarragon in Des Moines should be figured out by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Tarragon

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

Tarragon are barely cold tolerant which tells us that you can start planting them slightly earlier than other plants that might not handle the cold.

The earliest that you can plant tarragon in Des Moines 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 tarragon and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your tarragon may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your tarragon indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Des Moines. You should expect an average low temperature of -15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for Des Moines is just an average and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Des Moines there is a last frost after April 15 so always be ready to protect your tarragon in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Des Moines

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-15°F
Highest Expected Low	-10°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -15°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -10°F.

Plants to Grow in Des Moines

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Des Moines.