One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us determine your gardening schedule is the 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.

It's possible to estimate when it's a good idea to plant chrysanthemum by using the USDA zone info for Columbus.

Planting Calendar for Chrysanthemum

Frost tolerance for chrysanthemum:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost.

You should not plant chrysanthemum until after all chance of frost has passed because they are not cold tolerant.

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

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in Columbus. You should expect an average low temperature of 15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Columbus is an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Columbus you get surprised by a frost after March 15 be ready to protect your chrysanthemum in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Columbus

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	15°F
Highest Expected Low	20°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 15°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 20°F.

Plants to Grow in Columbus

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