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.

In Rochester you can estimate when it's the best time to plant oenothera by looking at the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Oenothera

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

Oenothera are moderately cold tolerant which means that you can plant them a little bit earlier than plants that are more sensitive to the cold.

The earliest that you can plant oenothera in Rochester 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 oenothera and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your oenothera may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your oenothera indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on May 15 in Rochester. It might get as low as -25°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Rochester is an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Rochester there is a last frost after May 15 so be sure to be ready to protect your oenothera if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Rochester

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 Rochester

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