When to Plant Snapdragons in Zone 3a

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

In Zone 3a you can determine when it's possible to plant snapdragons by looking at the USDA zone info.


Planting Calendar for Snapdragons

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

Snapdragons are moderately cold tolerant which tells us that you can plant them a little bit earlier than other plants that might not handle the cold.

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

The earliest that you can plant snapdragons 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 snapdragons and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your snapdragons may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your snapdragons indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Zone 3a is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Zone 3a it frosts late in the year after May 15 be ready to protect your snapdragons in the event of a 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.