One of the first steps you take when you are making a decision about your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

In Ionia you can determine when it's a good idea to plant ruby grass by looking at the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Ruby Grass

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

Ruby Grass do ok in mild cold which means that you can plant them a bit earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant ruby grass in Ionia 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 ruby grass and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your ruby grass may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your ruby grass 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 Ionia. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Ionia is just an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Ionia you get a frost after April 15 be ready to cover your ruby grass if you have a late frost.

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.