One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea 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.

It's a good idea to figure out when to plant asters by referring to the USDA zone info for Three Rivers.

Planting Calendar for Asters

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

Since asters do well in moderate cold you can plant them a little earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant asters in Three Rivers 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 asters and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your asters may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your asters indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

Since the USDA zone info for Three Rivers is just an average the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Three Rivers you get surprised by a frost after April 15 be ready to cover your asters in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Three Rivers

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 Three Rivers

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Three Rivers.