One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea 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.

It's possible to estimate when it's a good idea to plant chrysanthemums by referring to the USDA zone info for Zone 2a.

Planting Calendar for Chrysanthemums

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

You can plant chrysanthemums just a tiny bit earlier in the year because they do ok in moderate cold.

The earliest that you can plant chrysanthemums in Zone 2a 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 chrysanthemums and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your chrysanthemums may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your chrysanthemums indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on May 15 in Zone 2a. It might get as low as -50°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Zone 2a may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Zone 2a last frost occurs after May 15 be ready to cover your chrysanthemums if you have a surprise 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.