One of the first steps you take when you are making a decision about 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.

It's a good idea to estimate when it's the best time to plant rhubarb by referring to the USDA zone info for Cortland.

Planting Calendar for Rhubarb

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

Rhubarb tend to make it in some cold which tells us that you can plant them a little bit earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant rhubarb in Cortland 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 rhubarb and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your rhubarb may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your rhubarb indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average all chance of frost has passed is on April 15 in Cortland. It might get as low as -10°F during the coldest months of winter.

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Cortland is just an average and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Cortland you get a frost after April 15 be ready to cover your rhubarb in the event of a surprise 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.