One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out your gardening schedule is find your 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.

In Ottawa you can estimate when it's possible to plant abutilon by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Abutilon

Frost tolerance for abutilon:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

You can not plant abutilon until after the last frost has passed because they do not do well in cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant abutilon in Ottawa 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 abutilon and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your abutilon may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your abutilon indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average all chance of frost has passed is on April 15 in Ottawa. It might get as low as -15°F during the coldest months of winter.

It's important to remember that the actual date of last frost is an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Ottawa and it changes from year to year. Half of the time in Ottawa there is a last frost after April 15 so always be ready to cover your abutilon in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Ottawa

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 Ottawa

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