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.

By referring to the USDA zone info for Martinsville it's a good idea to determine when to plant perilla.

Planting Calendar for Perilla

Frost tolerance for perilla:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost.

Since perilla are not cold tolerant you must wait until after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant perilla in Martinsville 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 perilla and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your perilla may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your perilla 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 Martinsville. You should expect an average low temperature of -10°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Martinsville is an average the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Martinsville it frosts late in the year after April 15 so be sure to be ready to protect your perilla if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Martinsville

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 Martinsville

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