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.

By looking at the USDA zone info for Iowa City it's possible to figure out when you can plant candytuft.

Planting Calendar for Candytuft

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

Since candytuft are moderately cold tolerant you can plant them a little bit earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant candytuft in Iowa City 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 candytuft and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your candytuft may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your candytuft indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on April 15 in Iowa City. It might get as low as -15°F during the coldest months of winter.

Keep in mind that the actual date of last frost is just an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Iowa City and it is different every year. Since half of the time in Iowa City you get surprised by a frost after April 15 be ready to cover your candytuft in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Iowa City

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 Iowa City

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Iowa City.