One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us estimate 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 first chance to plant platycodon in Washington should be determined by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Platycodon

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

Since platycodon are barely cold tolerant you can plant them slightly earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

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

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on March 15 in Washington. It might get as low as 10°F during the coldest months of winter.

Remember that USDA zone info for Washington may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Washington you get surprised by a frost after March 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your platycodon if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Washington

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 Washington

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