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.

One way of figuring out when it's a good idea to plant pennisetum is to refer to the USDA zone info for Kill Devil Hills.

Planting Calendar for Pennisetum

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

Pennisetum are barely cold tolerant which tells us that you can start planting them slightly earlier than other plants that might not handle the cold.

The earliest that you can plant pennisetum in Kill Devil Hills 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 pennisetum and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your pennisetum may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your pennisetum 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 March 15 in Kill Devil Hills. It might get as low as 15°F during the coldest months of winter.

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for Kill Devil Hills may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Kill Devil Hills last frost occurs after March 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your pennisetum in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Kill Devil Hills

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 Kill Devil Hills

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Kill Devil Hills.