Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to figure out your garden schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

One way of determining when to plant dahlias is to check out the USDA zone info for Gadsden.

Planting Calendar for Dahlias

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

You can not plant dahlias until after the last frost because they do not do well in cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant dahlias in Gadsden 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 dahlias and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your dahlias may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your dahlias indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in Gadsden. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 10°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Gadsden is an average the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Gadsden it frosts late in the year after March 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your dahlias if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Gadsden

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 Gadsden

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