One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea 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 reviewing the USDA zone info for Rapid City you will be able to determine when it's possible to plant asparagus.

Planting Calendar for Asparagus

Frost tolerance for asparagus:	Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

Since asparagus are very cold tolerant you can plant them a lot earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant asparagus in Rapid City 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 asparagus and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your asparagus may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your asparagus indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average all chance of frost has passed is on April 15 in Rapid City. You should expect an average low temperature of -20°F in the coldest months of winter.

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for Rapid City is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Rapid City there is a last frost after April 15 so just be sure to be ready to protect your asparagus if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Rapid City

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-20°F
Highest Expected Low	-15°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -20°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -15°F.

Plants to Grow in Rapid City

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Rapid City.