One of the first steps you take when you are estimating your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

A way of estimating when it's possible to plant hollyhocks is to consult the USDA zone info for Benton.

Planting Calendar for Hollyhocks

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

Since hollyhocks are moderately cold tolerant you can plant them a little earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant hollyhocks in Benton 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 hollyhocks and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your hollyhocks may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your hollyhocks 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 Benton. It might get as low as 0°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Benton is not always accurate the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Benton it frosts late in the year after April 15 be ready to cover your hollyhocks if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Benton

Here is the info for USDA Zone 7a.

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

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 0°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 5°F.

Plants to Grow in Benton

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