When to Plant Tropical Water Plants 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.

You can determine when it's the best time to plant tropical water plants in Zone 3a by checking out the USDA zone info.


Planting Calendar for Tropical Water Plants

Frost tolerance for tropical water plants: Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant: After the last frost has passed.

You should not plant tropical water plants until after all chance of frost has passed because they require warm weather.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant tropical water plants
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant tropical water plants
Probably not a good time to plant tropical water plants

The earliest that you can plant tropical water plants 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 tropical water plants and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your tropical water plants may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your tropical water plants indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Zone 3a the average date of last frost happens on May 15. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -40°F.

Keep in mind 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. Half of the time in Zone 3a there is a last frost after May 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your tropical water plants if you have 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.