One of the first steps you take when you are making a decision about 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 reviewing the USDA zone info for Ponchatoula you should be able to determine when it's possible to plant nicotiana.

Planting Calendar for Nicotiana

Frost tolerance for nicotiana:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost.

Since nicotiana require warm weather it's important to wait until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant nicotiana in Ponchatoula 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 nicotiana and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your nicotiana may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your nicotiana indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

Since the USDA zone info for Ponchatoula is an average the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Ponchatoula you get surprised by a frost after March 15 so always be ready to protect your nicotiana if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Ponchatoula

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 Ponchatoula

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