One of the first steps you take when you are determining your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

In Old Town you can determine when to plant artichokes by using the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Artichokes

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

Since artichokes are moderately cold tolerant you can plant them a little bit earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant artichokes in Old Town 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 artichokes and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your artichokes may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your artichokes indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Old Town. You can expect an average low temperature of -20°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Old Town is an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Old Town it frosts late in the year after April 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your artichokes in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Old Town

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-20°F
Highest Expected Low	-15°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -20°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -15°F.

Plants to Grow in Old Town

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Old Town.