One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out 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.

In Altoona you can determine when to plant tree onions by using the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Tree onions

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

Since tree onions do ok in moderate cold you can plant them slightly earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant tree onions in Altoona is April. However, you really should wait until May if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant tree onions and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your tree onions may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your tree onions indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on May 15 in Altoona. It might get as low as -25°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Altoona is an average the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Altoona there is a last frost after May 15 be ready to cover your tree onions if you have 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.