When to Plant Creeping Zinnia in Zone 5a

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 earliest that you can plant creeping zinnia in Zone 5a can be figured out by reviewing the USDA zone info.


Planting Calendar for Creeping Zinnia

Frost tolerance for creeping zinnia: Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant: Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

Creeping Zinnia tend to make it in mild cold which tells us that you can plant them slightly earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

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

The earliest that you can plant creeping zinnia in Zone 5a 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 creeping zinnia and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your creeping zinnia may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your creeping zinnia indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Zone 5a. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -20°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Zone 5a may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Zone 5a it frosts late in the year after April 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your creeping zinnia in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Zone 5a

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)October 15
Lowest Expected Low-20°F
Highest Expected Low-15°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -20°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -15°F.

Plants to Grow in Zone 5a

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Zone 5a.