When to Plant Alternaria in Zone 3a

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.

A common way of estimating when you can plant alternaria is to consult the USDA zone info for Zone 3a.


Planting Calendar for Alternaria

Frost tolerance for alternaria: Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant: After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

Alternaria do not do well in cold weather which means that you need to wait until it warms up after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

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

The earliest that you can plant alternaria in Zone 3a 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 alternaria and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your alternaria may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your alternaria indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is May 15 in Zone 3a. It might get as low as -40°F during the coldest months of winter.

Remember that the actual date of last frost is just an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Zone 3a and it changes from year to year. Half of the time in Zone 3a you get surprised by a frost after May 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your alternaria in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Zone 3a

Here is the info for USDA Zone 3a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)May 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)September 15
Lowest Expected Low-40°F
Highest Expected Low-35°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -40°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -35°F.

Plants to Grow in Zone 3a

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Zone 3a.