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 opportunity to plant gerbera in Ottumwa should be estimated by looking at the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Gerbera

Frost tolerance for gerbera:	Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

You can plant gerbera slightly earlier in the year because they do ok in moderate cold.

The earliest that you can plant gerbera in Ottumwa is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant gerbera and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your gerbera may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your gerbera indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on April 15 in Ottumwa. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Remember that USDA zone info for Ottumwa is an average and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Ottumwa there is a last frost after April 15 be ready to protect your gerbera if you have 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.