Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to determine 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 first chance to plant dracaena in Ottumwa can be estimated by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Dracaena

Frost tolerance for dracaena:	Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

Since dracaena are very cold tolerant you can plant them much earlier in the year than plants that are more sensitive to the cold.

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

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on April 15 in Ottumwa. It might get as low as -15°F during the coldest months of winter.

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Ottumwa may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Ottumwa you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so make sure that you are ready to protect your dracaena 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.