One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea 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 Pittsfield you should be able to figure out when it's a good idea to plant platycodon.

Planting Calendar for Platycodon

Frost tolerance for platycodon:	Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

Since platycodon are barely cold tolerant you can plant them a bit earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant platycodon in Pittsfield 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 platycodon and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your platycodon may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your platycodon indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on April 15 in Pittsfield. You can expect an average low temperature of -15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Just be sure to remember that USDA zone info for Pittsfield may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Pittsfield it frosts late in the year after April 15 be ready to protect your platycodon if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Pittsfield

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-15°F
Highest Expected Low	-10°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 -10°F.

Plants to Grow in Pittsfield

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