One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us determine your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

In Ithaca you can estimate when it's a good idea to plant veronica by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Veronica

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

You can plant veronica just a bit earlier in the year because they are moderately cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant veronica in Ithaca 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 veronica and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your veronica may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your veronica indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Ithaca. It might get as low as -10°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Ithaca is an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Ithaca last frost occurs after April 15 be ready to cover your veronica in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Ithaca

Here is the info for USDA Zone 6a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-10°F
Highest Expected Low	-5°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 -5°F.

Plants to Grow in Ithaca

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