When to Plant Mecardonia in New Orleans, LA

One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us estimate 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 reviewing the USDA zone info for New Orleans it's possible to figure out when it's the best time to plant mecardonia.


Planting Calendar for Mecardonia

Frost tolerance for mecardonia: Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant: After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

Mecardonia do not do well in cold weather which means that it's important to wait until it warms up after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant mecardonia
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant mecardonia
Probably not a good time to plant mecardonia

The earliest that you can plant mecardonia in New Orleans is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant mecardonia and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your mecardonia may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your mecardonia indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In New Orleans the average date of last frost happens on February 15. It might get as low as 25°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for New Orleans is just an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in New Orleans you get surprised by a frost after February 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your mecardonia if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for New Orleans

Here is the info for USDA Zone 9b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)February 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)December 15
Lowest Expected Low25°F
Highest Expected Low30°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 25°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 30°F.

Plants to Grow in New Orleans

You may be interested in your other planting guides for New Orleans.