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 getting a good idea when it's possible to plant black eyed susans is to refer to the USDA zone info for Natchitoches.

Planting Calendar for Black Eyed Susans

Frost tolerance for black eyed susans:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost.

Since black eyed susans are not cold tolerant it is necessary to wait until after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant black eyed susans in Natchitoches 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 black eyed susans and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your black eyed susans may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your black eyed susans indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Natchitoches is just an average and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Natchitoches last frost occurs after March 15 be ready to protect your black eyed susans in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Natchitoches

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 Natchitoches

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