One of the first steps you take when you are determining 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.

A common way of getting a good idea when it's possible to plant new zealand spinach is to refer to the USDA zone info for Pierre.

Planting Calendar for New Zealand spinach

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

Since new zealand spinach do well in moderate cold you can plant them a little earlier in the year than plants that are more sensitive to the cold.

The earliest that you can plant new zealand spinach in Pierre 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 new zealand spinach and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your new zealand spinach may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your new zealand spinach indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is May 15 in Pierre. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -25°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Pierre is an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Pierre you get a frost after May 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your new zealand spinach in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Pierre

Here is the info for USDA Zone 4b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	May 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	September 15
Lowest Expected Low	-25°F
Highest Expected Low	-20°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -25°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -20°F.

Plants to Grow in Pierre

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