One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

By referring to the USDA zone info for Hillsdale it's possible to determine when it's a good idea to plant mecardonia.

Planting Calendar for Mecardonia

Frost tolerance for mecardonia:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

You really shouldn't plant mecardonia until after the last frost has passed because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant mecardonia in Hillsdale 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 mecardonia and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your mecardonia may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your mecardonia indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Hillsdale the average date of last frost happens on April 15. You should expect an average low temperature of -15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Hillsdale is an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Hillsdale there is a last frost after April 15 so just be sure to be ready to cover your mecardonia in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Hillsdale

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 Hillsdale

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