When to Plant Mustard greens in Ottawa, IL

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.

By using the USDA zone info for Ottawa you should be able to figure out when you can plant mustard greens.


Planting Calendar for Mustard greens

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

Mustard greens can survive in a little bit of cold which tells us that you can plant them a little earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

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

The earliest that you can plant mustard greens 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 mustard greens and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your mustard greens may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your mustard greens indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a little bit 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.

Just be sure to remember that the actual date of last frost is not always accurate because it is based on the USDA zone info for Ottawa and it will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Ottawa there is a last frost after April 15 be ready to cover your mustard greens if you have a 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.