Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to determine your garden schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

The first chance to plant marigold in El Dorado should be figured out by checking out the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Marigold

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

You really shouldn't plant marigold until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant marigold in El Dorado 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 marigold and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your marigold may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your marigold 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 El Dorado. You should expect an average low temperature of 10°F in the coldest months of winter.

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for El Dorado is just an average and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in El Dorado it frosts late in the year after March 15 so always be ready to cover your marigold if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for El Dorado

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 El Dorado

You may be interested in your other planting guides for El Dorado.