The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us estimate your gardening 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 artemesia in South Portland should be figured out by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Artemesia

Frost tolerance for artemesia:	Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

Since artemesia do ok in moderate cold you can plant them slightly earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant artemesia in South Portland is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant artemesia and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your artemesia may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your artemesia indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

In South Portland the average date of last frost happens on April 15. It might get as low as -15°F during the coldest months of winter.

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for South Portland is an average and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in South Portland you get a frost after April 15 be ready to cover your artemesia in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for South Portland

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 South Portland

You may be interested in your other planting guides for South Portland.