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 USDA zone info for Donaldsonville should be looked at to estimate when it's the best time to plant marigold.

Planting Calendar for Marigold

Frost tolerance for marigold:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost has passed.

Since marigold are not cold tolerant it's important to wait until after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant marigold in Donaldsonville 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 marigold and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your marigold may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your marigold indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on February 15 in Donaldsonville. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of 20°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Donaldsonville may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Donaldsonville you get surprised by a frost after February 15 be ready to protect your marigold in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Donaldsonville

Here is the info for USDA Zone 9a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	February 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	20°F
Highest Expected Low	25°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 25°F.

Plants to Grow in Donaldsonville

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