One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule is the 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 Austin it's a good idea to estimate when it's a good idea to plant lavender cotton.

Planting Calendar for Lavender Cotton

Frost tolerance for lavender cotton:	Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

You can plant lavender cotton a lot earlier in the year because they do well in cold.

The earliest that you can plant lavender cotton in Austin 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 lavender cotton and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your lavender cotton may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your lavender cotton indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is May 15 in Austin. You can expect an average low temperature of -25°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Austin may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Austin you get surprised by a frost after May 15 so just be sure to be ready to cover your lavender cotton if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Austin

Here is the info for USDA Zone 4b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	May 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	September 15
Lowest Expected Low	-25°F
Highest Expected Low	-20°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -25°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -20°F.

Plants to Grow in Austin

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