When to Plant Oregano in Zone 3a

One of the first steps you take when you are determining 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.

By using the USDA zone info for Zone 3a you should be able to figure out when to plant oregano.


Planting Calendar for Oregano

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

Oregano are one of those plants that can tolerate a little bit of cold weather which means that you can plant them a little bit earlier than more sensitive plants.

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

The earliest that you can plant oregano 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 oregano and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your oregano may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your oregano indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on May 15 in Zone 3a. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -40°F.

Just be sure to remember that the actual date of last frost is an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Zone 3a and it will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Zone 3a you get a frost after May 15 be ready to cover your oregano if you have a surprise late frost.

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.