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.

In Fort Payne you can estimate when it's the best time to plant zucchini by reviewing the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Zucchini

Frost tolerance for zucchini:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

Since zucchini do not do well in cold weather it is important to wait until after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant zucchini in Fort Payne 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 zucchini and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your zucchini may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your zucchini indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on April 15 in Fort Payne. It might get as low as 5°F during the coldest months of winter.

Remember that the actual date of last frost may not be accurate from year to year because it is based on the USDA zone info for Fort Payne and it can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Fort Payne you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so be sure to be ready to protect your zucchini if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Fort Payne

Here is the info for USDA Zone 7b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	5°F
Highest Expected Low	10°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 5°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 10°F.

Plants to Grow in Fort Payne

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Fort Payne.