One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

By reviewing the USDA zone info for Chariton you should be able to estimate when it's possible to plant centaurea.

Planting Calendar for Centaurea

Frost tolerance for centaurea:	Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant:	Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

Centaurea do well in moderate cold which means that you can plant them a little earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant centaurea in Chariton is February. However, you really should wait until March if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant centaurea and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your centaurea may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your centaurea 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 Chariton. You can expect an average low temperature of -20°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Chariton is not always accurate the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Chariton it frosts late in the year after April 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your centaurea in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Chariton

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 Chariton

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Chariton.