The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

The first opportunity to plant alyssum in Knoxville can be estimated by looking at the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Alyssum

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

Since alyssum do well in cold you can plant them much earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant alyssum in Knoxville 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 alyssum and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your alyssum may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your alyssum 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 Knoxville. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Remember that USDA zone info for Knoxville is an average and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Knoxville it frosts late in the year after April 15 be ready to protect your alyssum in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Knoxville

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5b.

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

Plants to Grow in Knoxville

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