Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to determine 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.

In Lowell you can determine when to plant osteospermum by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Osteospermum

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

You can plant osteospermum a little earlier in the year because they are moderately cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant osteospermum in Lowell 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 osteospermum and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your osteospermum may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your osteospermum indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Lowell. It might get as low as -15°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Lowell is an average the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Lowell last frost occurs after April 15 be ready to cover your osteospermum in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Lowell

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 Lowell

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