When to Plant Potatos in Zone 1b

One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us determine your gardening schedule is the 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.

The first opportunity to plant potatos in Zone 1b should be estimated by referring to the USDA zone info.


Planting Calendar for Potatos

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

Potatos are one of those plants that can tolerate quite a bit of cold weather which tells us that you can get them planted much earlier than plants that are more sensitive to the cold.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant potatos
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant potatos
Probably not a good time to plant potatos

The earliest that you can plant potatos in Zone 1b is May. However, you really should wait until June if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant potatos and expect a good harvest is probably July. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your potatos may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your potatos indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Zone 1b the average date of last frost happens on June 15. You should expect an average low temperature of -55°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Zone 1b is an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Zone 1b it frosts late in the year after June 15 so just be sure to be ready to cover your potatos in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Zone 1b

Here is the info for USDA Zone 1b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)June 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)July 15
Lowest Expected Low-55°F
Highest Expected Low-50°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -55°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -50°F.

Plants to Grow in Zone 1b

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Zone 1b.