Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to determine your garden schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

In Ottumwa you can estimate when it's the best time to plant fiber optic grass by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Fiber Optic Grass

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

You should not plant fiber optic grass until after the last frost because they do not do well in cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant fiber optic grass 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 fiber optic grass and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your fiber optic grass may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your fiber optic grass indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average all chance of frost has passed 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 is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Ottumwa last frost occurs after April 15 so just be sure to be ready to cover your fiber optic grass in the event of a surprise late frost.

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.