When to Plant Elephant Ears in Hawthorne, NJ

One of the first steps you take when you are making a decision about 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.

The first chance to plant elephant ears in Hawthorne can be figured out by reviewing the USDA zone info.


Planting Calendar for Elephant Ears

Frost tolerance for elephant ears: Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant: After the last frost has passed.

It's probably a bad idea to plant elephant ears until after the last frost because they are not cold tolerant.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant elephant ears
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant elephant ears
Probably not a good time to plant elephant ears

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

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on April 15 in Hawthorne. You can expect an average low temperature of 0°F in the coldest months of winter.

Just be sure to remember that USDA zone info for Hawthorne may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Hawthorne you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so always be ready to protect your elephant ears if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Hawthorne

Here is the info for USDA Zone 7a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)October 15
Lowest Expected Low0°F
Highest Expected Low5°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 0°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 5°F.

Plants to Grow in Hawthorne

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