One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

In Altoona you can estimate when to plant scabiosa by checking out the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Scabiosa

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

Scabiosa do well in mild cold which tells us that you can plant them a little earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant scabiosa in Altoona 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 scabiosa and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your scabiosa may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your scabiosa indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

Since the USDA zone info for Altoona is an average the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Altoona there is a last frost after May 15 so be sure to be ready to protect your scabiosa in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Altoona

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 Altoona

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