One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out 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 Bunkie it's possible to estimate when to plant cosmos.

Planting Calendar for Cosmos

Frost tolerance for cosmos:	Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

You can plant cosmos just a tiny bit earlier in the year because they are barely cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant cosmos in Bunkie 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 cosmos and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your cosmos may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your cosmos indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is February 15 in Bunkie. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 20°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Bunkie is just an average the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Bunkie it frosts late in the year after February 15 be ready to protect your cosmos in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Bunkie

Here is the info for USDA Zone 9a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	February 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	20°F
Highest Expected Low	25°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 20°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 25°F.

Plants to Grow in Bunkie

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