Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to determine your garden schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

It's possible to figure out when it's the best time to plant caladium by looking at the USDA zone info for Petal.

Planting Calendar for Caladium

Frost tolerance for caladium:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

Since caladium require warm weather it is necessary to wait until after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant caladium in Petal 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 caladium and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your caladium may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your caladium indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on March 15 in Petal. It might get as low as 15°F during the coldest months of winter.

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Petal is just an average and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Petal there is a last frost after March 15 so be sure to be ready to protect your caladium in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Petal

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 Petal

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