One of the first steps you take when you are estimating your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

By referring to the USDA zone info for Troy you will be able to figure out when it's the best time to plant pentas.

Planting Calendar for Pentas

Frost tolerance for pentas:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

You should not plant pentas until after all chance of frost has passed because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant pentas in Troy 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 pentas and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your pentas may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your pentas indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

Since the USDA zone info for Troy is an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Troy last frost occurs after March 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your pentas if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Troy

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 Troy

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