Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to estimate your garden schedule. 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 Iowa City should be reffered to in order to figure out when to plant crossandra.

Planting Calendar for Crossandra

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

Since crossandra require warm weather you have to wait until after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant crossandra in Iowa City 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 crossandra and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your crossandra may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your crossandra indoors.

Last Frost Date

In Iowa City the average date of last frost happens on April 15. You should expect an average low temperature of -15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Always keep in mind that the actual date of last frost may not be accurate from year to year because it is based on the USDA zone info for Iowa City and it can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Iowa City there is a last frost after April 15 so always be ready to cover your crossandra if you have a 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.