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.

The first chance to plant spinach in Albert Lea should be figured out by looking at the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Spinach

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

Since spinach are moderately cold tolerant you can plant them just a bit earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant spinach in Albert Lea 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 spinach and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your spinach may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your spinach indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on May 15 in Albert Lea. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -25°F.

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Albert Lea is just an average and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Albert Lea last frost occurs after May 15 be ready to protect your spinach in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Albert Lea

Here is the info for USDA Zone 4b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	May 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	September 15
Lowest Expected Low	-25°F
Highest Expected Low	-20°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -25°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -20°F.

Plants to Grow in Albert Lea

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Albert Lea.