One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

By reviewing the USDA zone info for Zone 3a it's possible to determine when you can plant rhubarb.

Planting Calendar for Rhubarb

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

You can plant rhubarb a little bit earlier in the year because they are moderately cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant rhubarb 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 rhubarb and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your rhubarb may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your rhubarb indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed 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 may not be accurate from year to year because it is based on the USDA zone info for Zone 3a and it can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Zone 3a last frost occurs after May 15 be ready to protect your rhubarb 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.