When to Plant Asters in Zone 2a

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.

By looking at the USDA zone info for Zone 2a it's a good idea to figure out when it's possible to plant asters.


Planting Calendar for Asters

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

Asters are one of those plants that can tolerate a little bit of cold weather which means that you can start planting them earlier than plants that are more sensitive to the cold.

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

The earliest that you can plant asters in Zone 2a 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 asters and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your asters may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your asters indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on May 15 in Zone 2a. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -50°F.

Always keep in mind that the actual date of last frost is not always accurate because it is based on the USDA zone info for Zone 2a and it changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Zone 2a there is a last frost after May 15 be ready to protect your asters in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Zone 2a

Here is the info for USDA Zone 2a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)May 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)August 15
Lowest Expected Low-50°F
Highest Expected Low-45°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -50°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -45°F.

Plants to Grow in Zone 2a

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Zone 2a.