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.

You should be able to figure out when it's a good idea to plant perilla by checking out the USDA zone info for Columbia.

Planting Calendar for Perilla

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

You can not plant perilla until after the last frost because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant perilla in Columbia 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 perilla and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your perilla may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your perilla indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on April 15 in Columbia. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -10°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Columbia is just an average the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Columbia you get a frost after April 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your perilla in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Columbia

Here is the info for USDA Zone 6a.

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

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -10°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -5°F.

Plants to Grow in Columbia

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