Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to determine your garden schedule. 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 estimate when you can plant potatos by looking at the USDA zone info for Austin.

Planting Calendar for Potatos

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

Potatos do ok in cold weather which means that you can plant them a lot earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant potatos 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 potatos and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your potatos may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your potatos indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

Since the USDA zone info for Austin is just an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Austin there is a last frost after May 15 be ready to protect your potatos 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.