When to Plant Platycodon in Waterloo, IA

Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to figure out 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 platycodon in Waterloo should be figured out by checking out the USDA zone info.


Planting Calendar for Platycodon

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

Since platycodon do ok in moderate cold you can plant them just a tiny bit earlier in the year than other plants that might not handle the cold.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant platycodon
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant platycodon
Probably not a good time to plant platycodon

The earliest that you can plant platycodon in Waterloo 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 platycodon and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your platycodon may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your platycodon 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 Waterloo. You should expect an average low temperature of -20°F in the coldest months of winter.

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for Waterloo is an average and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Waterloo you get a frost after April 15 be ready to cover your platycodon in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Waterloo

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)October 15
Lowest Expected Low-20°F
Highest Expected Low-15°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -20°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -15°F.

Plants to Grow in Waterloo

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