When to Plant Dallas Fern in Zone 5a

One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea 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 USDA zone info for Zone 5a should be looked at to estimate when it's a good idea to plant dallas fern.


Planting Calendar for Dallas Fern

Frost tolerance for dallas fern: Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant: After all chance of frost has passed.

Since dallas fern require warm weather you really should wait until after the last frost before you can plant them.

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

The earliest that you can plant dallas fern in Zone 5a is April. However, you really should wait until May if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant dallas fern and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your dallas fern may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your dallas fern indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

Since the USDA zone info for Zone 5a is not always accurate the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Zone 5a there is a last frost after April 15 be ready to protect your dallas fern if you have a surprise 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.