One of the first steps you take when you are estimating 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.

One way of determining when it's a good idea to plant pennisetum is to check out the USDA zone info for Fruitland.

Planting Calendar for Pennisetum

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

Pennisetum are barely cold tolerant which tells us that you can plant them slightly earlier than more sensitive plants.

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

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on April 15 in Fruitland. You should expect an average low temperature of 5°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Fruitland may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Fruitland last frost occurs after April 15 be ready to cover your pennisetum if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Fruitland

Here is the info for USDA Zone 7b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	5°F
Highest Expected Low	10°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 10°F.

Plants to Grow in Fruitland

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