One of the first steps you take when you are estimating 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.

A way of figuring out when it's possible to plant cosmos is to use the USDA zone info for Ocoee.

Planting Calendar for Cosmos

Frost tolerance for cosmos:	Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

Cosmos tend to make it in some cold which means that you can plant them just a tiny bit earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant cosmos in Ocoee 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 cosmos and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your cosmos may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your cosmos indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Ocoee the average date of last frost happens on February 15. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 25°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Ocoee is an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Ocoee there is a last frost after February 15 so make sure that you are prepared to protect your cosmos in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Ocoee

Here is the info for USDA Zone 9b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	February 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	25°F
Highest Expected Low	30°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 25°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 30°F.

Plants to Grow in Ocoee

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