The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us determine your gardening schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

By reviewing the USDA zone info for Fort Madison it's possible to figure out when it's a good idea to plant centaurea.

Planting Calendar for Centaurea

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

Since centaurea do well in moderate cold you can plant them just a bit earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant centaurea in Fort Madison 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 centaurea and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your centaurea may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your centaurea indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on April 15 in Fort Madison. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Fort Madison is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Fort Madison you get surprised by a frost after April 15 be ready to protect your centaurea in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Fort Madison

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 Fort Madison

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Fort Madison.