One of the first steps you take when you are determining 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.

It's possible to estimate when it's the best time to plant tomatos by referring to the USDA zone info for Picayune.

Planting Calendar for Tomatos

Frost tolerance for tomatos:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

You really shouldn't plant tomatos until after the last frost has passed because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant tomatos in Picayune 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 tomatos and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your tomatos may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your tomatos indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in Picayune. You can expect an average low temperature of 15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Just be sure to remember that USDA zone info for Picayune is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Picayune you get a frost after March 15 be ready to cover your tomatos in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Picayune

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 Picayune

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