Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to figure out 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.

One way of figuring out when it's possible to plant marigold is to look at the USDA zone info for Hampshire.

Planting Calendar for Marigold

Frost tolerance for marigold:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

You can not plant marigold until after the last frost has passed because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant marigold in Hampshire 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 marigold and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your marigold may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your marigold indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Just be sure to remember that USDA zone info for Hampshire is just an average and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Hampshire last frost occurs after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your marigold if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Hampshire

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 Hampshire

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