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.

It's possible to determine when to plant fennel by referring to the USDA zone info for Malden.

Planting Calendar for Fennel

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

Fennel do well in cold which tells us that you can start planting them much earlier than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant fennel in Malden is February. However, you really should wait until March if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant fennel and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your fennel may not have a chance to fully mature. If you are starting your fennel indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Malden. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 0°F.

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for Malden is an average and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Malden there is a last frost after April 15 so make sure that you are ready to protect your fennel if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Malden

Here is the info for USDA Zone 7a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	0°F
Highest Expected Low	5°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 0°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 5°F.

Plants to Grow in Malden

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