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.

The earliest that you can plant violas in Columbus should be determined by using the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Violas

Frost tolerance for violas:	Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

Since violas do well in cold you can plant them earlier in the year than other plants that might not handle the cold.

The earliest that you can plant violas in Columbus 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 violas and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your violas may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your violas indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on March 15 in Columbus. You should expect an average low temperature of 15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for Columbus may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Columbus last frost occurs after March 15 be ready to protect your violas if you have a surprise 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.