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

You should be able to figure out when it's a good idea to plant leeks by reviewing the USDA zone info for Germantown.

Planting Calendar for Leeks

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

Leeks do well in cold which tells us that you can start planting them much earlier than other plants that might not handle the cold.

The earliest that you can plant leeks in Germantown 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 leeks and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your leeks may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your leeks indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Since the USDA zone info for Germantown may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Germantown it frosts late in the year after April 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your leeks in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Germantown

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 Germantown

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