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 making a decision about when it's possible to plant dahlias is to refer to the USDA zone info for Monticello.

Planting Calendar for Dahlias

Frost tolerance for dahlias:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost has passed.

It's not a good idea to plant dahlias until after the last frost because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant dahlias in Monticello 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 dahlias and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your dahlias may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your dahlias indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on March 15 in Monticello. You can expect an average low temperature of 10°F in the coldest months of winter.

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for Monticello is just an average and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Monticello there is a last frost after March 15 be ready to cover your dahlias if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Monticello

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 Monticello

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