One of the first steps you take when you are determining 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.

A way of getting a good idea when it's a good idea to plant alstromeria is to consult the USDA zone info for Rochester.

Planting Calendar for Alstromeria

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

You can plant alstromeria just a bit earlier in the year because they do well in moderate cold.

The earliest that you can plant alstromeria in Rochester 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 alstromeria and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your alstromeria may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your alstromeria indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on April 15 in Rochester. You should expect an average low temperature of -10°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Rochester is just an average the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Rochester you get a frost after April 15 so always be ready to cover your alstromeria if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Rochester

Here is the info for USDA Zone 6a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-10°F
Highest Expected Low	-5°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -10°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -5°F.

Plants to Grow in Rochester

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