One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us estimate 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.

By using the USDA zone info for Ottumwa you should be able to figure out when it's the best time to plant copperleaf.

Planting Calendar for Copperleaf

Frost tolerance for copperleaf:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost has passed.

You can not plant copperleaf until after the last frost because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant copperleaf in Ottumwa 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 copperleaf and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your copperleaf may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your copperleaf 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 Ottumwa. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Just be sure to remember that the actual date of last frost is not always accurate because it is based on the USDA zone info for Ottumwa and it is different every year. Since half of the time in Ottumwa you get surprised by a frost after April 15 be ready to protect your copperleaf if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Ottumwa

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 Ottumwa

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Ottumwa.