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.

A way of estimating when it's a good idea to plant parsnip is to consult the USDA zone info for Pierre.

Planting Calendar for Parsnip

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

Parsnip do well in some cold which means that you can plant them just a bit earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant parsnip 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 parsnip and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your parsnip may not have a chance to fully mature. If you are starting your parsnip indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

It's important to remember that the actual date of last frost may not be accurate from year to year because it is based on the USDA zone info for Pierre and it can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Pierre last frost occurs after May 15 so just be sure to be ready to protect your parsnip if you have one of those late frosts.

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.