One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us determine 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 looking at the USDA zone info for Litchfield it's a good idea to estimate when it's a good idea to plant perilla.

Planting Calendar for Perilla

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

It's not a good idea to plant perilla until after the last frost has passed because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant perilla in Litchfield is May. However, you really should wait until June if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant perilla and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your perilla may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your perilla indoors.

Last Frost Date

In Litchfield the average date of last frost happens on May 15. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -25°F.

Remember that the actual date of last frost is an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Litchfield and it changes from year to year. Half of the time in Litchfield it frosts late in the year after May 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your perilla in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Litchfield

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 Litchfield

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