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 first chance to plant mustard in Cortland can be estimated by reviewing the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Mustard

Frost tolerance for mustard:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

Since mustard require warm weather you must wait until after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant mustard in Cortland is April. However, you really should wait until May if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant mustard and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your mustard may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your mustard indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Cortland. You can expect an average low temperature of -10°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Cortland is just an average the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Cortland there is a last frost after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your mustard if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Cortland

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 Cortland

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