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 common way of making a decision about when to plant cosmos is to examine the USDA zone info for Phenix City.

Planting Calendar for Cosmos

Frost tolerance for cosmos:	Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

Cosmos do ok in moderate cold which means that you can start planting them slightly earlier than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant cosmos in Phenix City 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 cosmos and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your cosmos may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your cosmos indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Phenix City the average date of last frost happens on March 15. It might get as low as 10°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Phenix City may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Phenix City last frost occurs after March 15 be ready to protect your cosmos in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Phenix City

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 Phenix City

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Phenix City.