One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us determine 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.

The USDA zone info for Philadelphia should be read to figure out when it's a good idea to plant tree onions.

Planting Calendar for Tree onions

Frost tolerance for tree onions:	Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

Tree onions do ok in a tiny bit of cold which means that you can plant them slightly earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant tree onions in Philadelphia is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant tree onions and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your tree onions may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your tree onions indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on March 15 in Philadelphia. You should expect an average low temperature of 10°F in the coldest months of winter.

Remember that the actual date of last frost is not always accurate because it is based on the USDA zone info for Philadelphia and it changes from year to year. Half of the time in Philadelphia there is a last frost after March 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your tree onions in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Philadelphia

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	10°F
Highest Expected Low	15°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 15°F.

Plants to Grow in Philadelphia

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