When to Plant Alyssum in Zone 3a

One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out your gardening schedule is find your 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 alyssum in Zone 3a should be determined by reviewing the USDA zone info.


Planting Calendar for Alyssum

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

Since alyssum are one of those plants that can tolerate quite a bit of cold weather you can plant them much earlier in the year than other plants that might not handle the cold.

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

The earliest that you can plant alyssum in Zone 3a is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant alyssum and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your alyssum may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your alyssum indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on May 15 in Zone 3a. You can expect an average low temperature of -40°F in the coldest months of winter.

Remember that USDA zone info for Zone 3a is just an average and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Zone 3a you get a frost after May 15 so make sure that you are ready to protect your alyssum 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.