Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to determine your garden schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

One way of making a decision about when you can plant polka dot plant is to check out the USDA zone info for Mattoon.

Planting Calendar for Polka Dot Plant

Frost tolerance for polka dot plant:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

You should not plant polka dot plant until after the last frost has passed because they do not do well in cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant polka dot plant in Mattoon 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 polka dot plant and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your polka dot plant may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your polka dot plant indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Mattoon the average date of last frost happens on April 15. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -10°F.

Just be sure to remember that USDA zone info for Mattoon is just an average and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Mattoon you get surprised by a frost after April 15 be ready to cover your polka dot plant if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Mattoon

Here is the info for USDA Zone 6a.

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

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -10°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -5°F.

Plants to Grow in Mattoon

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