When to Plant Bachelor Buttons in Ottawa, IL

The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

You can figure out when it's possible to plant bachelor buttons in Ottawa by referring to the USDA zone info.


Planting Calendar for Bachelor Buttons

Frost tolerance for bachelor buttons: Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant: Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

Bachelor Buttons are moderately cold tolerant which means that you can plant them earlier than other plants that might not handle the cold.

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

The earliest that you can plant bachelor buttons in Ottawa 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 bachelor buttons and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your bachelor buttons may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your bachelor buttons indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Ottawa the average date of last frost happens on April 15. It might get as low as -15°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Ottawa may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Ottawa you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so be sure to be ready to protect your bachelor buttons 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.