One of the first steps you take when you are estimating your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

The USDA zone info for Marion can be used to determine when it's possible to plant alternanthera.

Planting Calendar for Alternanthera

Frost tolerance for alternanthera:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost has passed.

It's not a good idea to plant alternanthera until after all chance of frost has passed because they are not cold tolerant.

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

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on April 15 in Marion. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -5°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Marion is an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Marion you get a frost after April 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your alternanthera if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Marion

Here is the info for USDA Zone 6b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-5°F
Highest Expected Low	0°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 0°F.

Plants to Grow in Marion

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