When to Plant Peanut in Zone 5a

The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

One way of estimating when it's possible to plant peanut is to refer to the USDA zone info for Zone 5a.


Planting Calendar for Peanut

Frost tolerance for peanut: Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant: After the last frost.

Peanut do not do well in cold weather which tells us that it is necessary to wait until it warms up after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

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

The earliest that you can plant peanut 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 peanut and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your peanut may not have a chance to fully mature. If you are starting your peanut indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

It's important to remember that the actual date of last frost is just an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Zone 5a and it is different every year. Since half of the time in Zone 5a there is a last frost after April 15 be ready to cover your peanut 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.