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.

One way of determining when to plant turnips is to refer to the USDA zone info for Waterville.

Planting Calendar for Turnips

Frost tolerance for turnips:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

Since turnips require warm weather it is necessary to wait until after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant turnips in Waterville is April. However, you really should wait until May if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant turnips and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your turnips may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your turnips indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Remember that USDA zone info for Waterville is just an average and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Waterville you get a frost after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your turnips in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Waterville

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 Waterville

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