One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

A way of getting a good idea when it's possible to plant perilla is to consult the USDA zone info for Gainesville.

Planting Calendar for Perilla

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

Since perilla do not do well in cold weather it's important to wait until after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant perilla in Gainesville 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 perilla and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your perilla may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your perilla 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 Gainesville. It might get as low as 5°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Gainesville is not always accurate the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Gainesville you get surprised by a frost after April 15 be ready to protect your perilla in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Gainesville

Here is the info for USDA Zone 7b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	5°F
Highest Expected Low	10°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 10°F.

Plants to Grow in Gainesville

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