Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to determine your garden schedule. 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 making a decision about when it's a good idea to plant rudbeckia is to refer to the USDA zone info for Bradley.

Planting Calendar for Rudbeckia

Frost tolerance for rudbeckia:	Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant:	Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

Rudbeckia do well in mild cold which tells us that you can plant them a little earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant rudbeckia in Bradley 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 rudbeckia and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your rudbeckia may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your rudbeckia indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on April 15 in Bradley. It might get as low as -15°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Bradley may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Bradley last frost occurs after April 15 so just be sure to be ready to protect your rudbeckia in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Bradley

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 Bradley

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