One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

In Elizabeth City you can estimate when to plant asparagus by using the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Asparagus

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

Since asparagus are very cold tolerant you can plant them a lot earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant asparagus in Elizabeth City 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 asparagus and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your asparagus may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your asparagus indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in Elizabeth City. It might get as low as 10°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Elizabeth City is an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Elizabeth City it frosts late in the year after March 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your asparagus in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Elizabeth City

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	10°F
Highest Expected Low	15°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 10°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 15°F.

Plants to Grow in Elizabeth City

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Elizabeth City.