The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us determine your gardening schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

The USDA zone info for Portage should be looked at to figure out when to plant firebush.

Planting Calendar for Firebush

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

You should not plant firebush until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they do not do well in cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant firebush in Portage 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 firebush and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your firebush may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your firebush indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on April 15 in Portage. You should expect an average low temperature of -20°F in the coldest months of winter.

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for Portage may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Portage last frost occurs after April 15 be ready to cover your firebush if you have a late frost.

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.