One of the first steps you take when you are determining your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

In Marianna you can estimate when it's the best time to plant dahlia by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Dahlia

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

Since dahlia do not do well in cold weather you have to wait until after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant dahlia in Marianna 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 dahlia and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your dahlia may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your dahlia indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Remember that USDA zone info for Marianna is just an average and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Marianna last frost occurs after March 15 be ready to cover your dahlia in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Marianna

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 Marianna

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