When to Plant Skullcap in Gloucester, MA

One of the first steps you take when you are making a decision about 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.

By looking at the USDA zone info for Gloucester it's a good idea to estimate when it's the best time to plant skullcap.


Planting Calendar for Skullcap

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

You really shouldn't plant skullcap until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they do not do well in cold weather.

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

The earliest that you can plant skullcap in Gloucester 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 skullcap and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your skullcap may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your skullcap indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Gloucester. It might get as low as -5°F during the coldest months of winter.

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Gloucester is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Gloucester last frost occurs after April 15 so just be sure to be ready to protect your skullcap if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Gloucester

Here is the info for USDA Zone 6b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)October 15
Lowest Expected Low-5°F
Highest Expected Low0°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -5°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 0°F.

Plants to Grow in Gloucester

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