One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us determine your gardening schedule is the 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.

The USDA zone info for Fort Madison should be used to estimate when it's a good idea to plant stoneseed.

Planting Calendar for Stoneseed

Frost tolerance for stoneseed:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost.

It's not a good idea to plant stoneseed until after the last frost has passed because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant stoneseed in Fort Madison is April. However, you really should wait until May if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant stoneseed and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your stoneseed may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your stoneseed indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is 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 the actual date of last frost is just an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Fort Madison and it changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Fort Madison you get surprised by a frost after April 15 be ready to cover your stoneseed if you have a surprise 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.