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 best time to plant hardy asters in Blair can be figured out by reviewing the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Hardy Asters

Frost tolerance for hardy asters:	Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

Since hardy asters are barely cold tolerant you can plant them slightly earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant hardy asters in Blair 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 hardy asters and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your hardy asters may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your hardy asters indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Blair. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Blair is just an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Blair last frost occurs after April 15 be ready to cover your hardy asters in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Blair

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-15°F
Highest Expected Low	-10°F

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

Plants to Grow in Blair

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