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.

In Natchez you can estimate when it's a good idea to plant centaurea by looking at the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Centaurea

Frost tolerance for centaurea:	Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant:	Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

Centaurea do well in moderate cold which means that you can plant them earlier than plants that are more sensitive to the cold.

The earliest that you can plant centaurea in Natchez 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 centaurea and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your centaurea may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your centaurea indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Natchez is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Natchez last frost occurs after March 15 be ready to cover your centaurea if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Natchez

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	15°F
Highest Expected Low	20°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 20°F.

Plants to Grow in Natchez

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