One of the first steps you take when you are estimating your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

You will be able to determine when you can plant dahlias by reviewing the USDA zone info for Oconomowoc.

Planting Calendar for Dahlias

Frost tolerance for dahlias:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost.

Since dahlias require warm weather it is necessary to wait until after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant dahlias in Oconomowoc 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 dahlias and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your dahlias may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your dahlias indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Oconomowoc. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -20°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Oconomowoc is an average the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Oconomowoc last frost occurs after April 15 so just be sure to be ready to protect your dahlias in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Oconomowoc

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 Oconomowoc

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