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.

A common way of determining when it's a good idea to plant marigold is to refer to the USDA zone info for Lapeer.

Planting Calendar for Marigold

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

Since marigold are not cold tolerant you must wait until after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant marigold in Lapeer 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 marigold and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your marigold may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your marigold 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 Lapeer. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Lapeer is just an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Lapeer last frost occurs after April 15 be ready to cover your marigold in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Lapeer

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 Lapeer

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