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.

By using the USDA zone info for Stow you should be able to determine when to plant delphinium.

Planting Calendar for Delphinium

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

Delphinium do ok in moderate cold which tells us that you can plant them slightly earlier than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant delphinium in Stow 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 delphinium and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your delphinium may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your delphinium indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Stow. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -5°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Stow is an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Stow there is a last frost after April 15 be ready to cover your delphinium if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Stow

Here is the info for USDA Zone 6b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-5°F
Highest Expected Low	0°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -5°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 0°F.

Plants to Grow in Stow

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