Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to estimate 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 getting a good idea when you can plant dahlia is to use the USDA zone info for Deridder.

Planting Calendar for Dahlia

Frost tolerance for dahlia:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost has passed.

Since dahlia do not do well in cold weather it's important to wait until after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant dahlia in Deridder 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 dahlia and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your dahlia may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your dahlia indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in Deridder. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of 15°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Deridder may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Deridder you get surprised by a frost after March 15 be ready to cover your dahlia in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Deridder

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 Deridder

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