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.

A common way of making a decision about when you can plant marigold is to consult the USDA zone info for Alabaster.

Planting Calendar for Marigold

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

It's probably a bad idea to plant marigold until after the last frost has passed because they do not do well in cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant marigold in Alabaster 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 marigold and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your marigold may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your marigold indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in Alabaster. It might get as low as 10°F during the coldest months of winter.

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Alabaster is an average and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Alabaster there is a last frost after March 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your marigold if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Alabaster

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	10°F
Highest Expected Low	15°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 10°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 15°F.

Plants to Grow in Alabaster

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