When to Plant Pyrethrum in Ottawa, IL

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 pyrethrum in Ottawa should be determined by looking at the USDA zone info.


Planting Calendar for Pyrethrum

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

You can plant pyrethrum a little bit earlier in the year because they are one of those plants that can tolerate a little bit of cold weather.

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

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

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on April 15 in Ottawa. You should expect an average low temperature of -15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Remember that the actual date of last frost is just an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Ottawa and it changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Ottawa last frost occurs after April 15 be ready to protect your pyrethrum in the event of 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.