The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us determine your gardening 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 getting a good idea when to plant chard is to use the USDA zone info for Fruita.

Planting Calendar for Chard

Frost tolerance for chard:	Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant:	Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

Chard tend to make it in mild cold which means that you can plant them a little earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant chard in Fruita is February. However, you really should wait until March if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant chard and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your chard may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your chard indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Fruita. It might get as low as -5°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Fruita is just an average the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Fruita it frosts late in the year after April 15 be ready to cover your chard in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Fruita

Here is the info for USDA Zone 6b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-5°F
Highest Expected Low	0°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -5°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 0°F.

Plants to Grow in Fruita

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