One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us determine your gardening schedule is the 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 Baton Rouge it's possible to figure out when it's possible to plant zinnia.

Planting Calendar for Zinnia

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

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

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

Last Frost Date

On average all chance of frost has passed is on March 15 in Baton Rouge. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of 15°F.

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Baton Rouge may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Baton Rouge you get surprised by a frost after March 15 be ready to protect your zinnia in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Baton Rouge

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	15°F
Highest Expected Low	20°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 20°F.

Plants to Grow in Baton Rouge

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Baton Rouge.