Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to estimate 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.

A way of figuring out when it's possible to plant fennel is to refer to the USDA zone info for Ozark.

Planting Calendar for Fennel

Frost tolerance for fennel:	Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

You can plant fennel earlier in the year because they are very cold tolerant.

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

Last Frost Date

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

Since the USDA zone info for Ozark 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 Ozark there is a last frost after March 15 be ready to protect your fennel if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Ozark

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 Ozark

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