One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

It's possible to figure out when it's a good idea to plant jerusalem artichokes by referring to the USDA zone info for Portage.

Planting Calendar for Jerusalem artichokes

Frost tolerance for jerusalem artichokes:	Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant:	Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

Jerusalem artichokes can survive in some cold which means that you can plant them a little bit earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant jerusalem artichokes in Portage 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 jerusalem artichokes and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your jerusalem artichokes may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your jerusalem artichokes indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on April 15 in Portage. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -20°F.

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 changes from year to year. Half of the time in Portage you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so be sure to be ready to protect your jerusalem artichokes in the event of 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.