One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule is the 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 USDA zone info for Austin should be reffered to in order to determine when it's a good idea to plant anchusa.

Planting Calendar for Anchusa

Frost tolerance for anchusa:	Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

Anchusa are very cold tolerant which tells us that you can plant them much earlier than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant anchusa in Austin 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 anchusa and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your anchusa may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your anchusa indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on May 15 in Austin. You should expect an average low temperature of -25°F in the coldest months of winter.

Always keep in mind that the actual date of last frost may not be accurate from year to year because it is based on the USDA zone info for Austin and it will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Austin it frosts late in the year after May 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your anchusa if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Austin

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 Austin

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