The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us determine 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.

A way of getting a good idea when to plant jerusalem artichokes is to use the USDA zone info for Ionia.

Planting Calendar for Jerusalem artichokes

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

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

The earliest that you can plant jerusalem artichokes in Ionia 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 jerusalem artichokes and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your jerusalem artichokes may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your jerusalem artichokes indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on April 15 in Ionia. It might get as low as -15°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Ionia is an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Ionia you get a frost after April 15 be ready to cover your jerusalem artichokes in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Ionia

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 Ionia

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