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.

One way of getting a good idea when it's a good idea to plant leeks is to look at the USDA zone info for Shelby.

Planting Calendar for Leeks

Frost tolerance for leeks:	Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

Leeks do well in cold which means that you can start planting them much earlier than other plants that might not handle the cold.

The earliest that you can plant leeks in Shelby 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 leeks and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your leeks may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your leeks indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Shelby. You should expect an average low temperature of 5°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Shelby is not always accurate the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Shelby there is a last frost after April 15 be ready to protect your leeks if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Shelby

Here is the info for USDA Zone 7b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	5°F
Highest Expected Low	10°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 5°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 10°F.

Plants to Grow in Shelby

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