Tansy in Zone 3a & 3b

Tanacetum vulgare

When to plant tansy in zone 3b

Zones 3a and 3b share the same average frost dates in our data, so this page covers both.

Method: Direct sow: Direct-sow outside. Tansy doesn't transplant well, or doesn't need the extra time indoors.

Start indoors	Not typically started indoors
Direct sow / transplant outside	May 16–May 23
Estimated harvest	May 15 '28–May 22 '28 (First real harvest the season after planting)

Spacing: 1 per square foot (square-foot-gardening spacing). Mature height: 1-5 ft.

Tansy is an old cottage-garden and strewing herb that modern toxicology has largely retired from use.

How tansy fits zone 3's season

Zone 3b's frost-free window runs about 98 days, from May 30 to September 5. Tansy takes about 1 growing season to reach first worthwhile harvest, so what matters here is how many of these seasons it gets, not whether one is long enough.

Tansy is hardy in zones 3-8, so in zone 3b it stays in the ground through winter and comes back rather than being replanted. Allow about 1.5 ft of spread at maturity.

Good companions

No standout companions recorded yet for Tansy.

Where to buy tansy seeds

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