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.

The USDA zone info for Portage should be reviewed to figure out when you can plant anise.

Planting Calendar for Anise

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

Anise can survive in mild cold which means that you can plant them slightly earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant anise in Portage 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 anise and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your anise may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your anise indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Portage. It might get as low as -20°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Portage may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Portage you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your anise if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Portage

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 Portage

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