One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule is the 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.

The first opportunity to plant statice in Ottawa can be figured out by reviewing the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Statice

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

Statice do ok in mild cold which means that you can plant them just a bit earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant statice 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 statice and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your statice may not have a chance to fully mature. If you are starting your statice indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Ottawa the average date of last frost happens on April 15. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

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 can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Ottawa it frosts late in the year after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to protect your statice 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.