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.

A common way of determining when it's a good idea to plant lobelia is to consult the USDA zone info for Mountainside.

Planting Calendar for Lobelia

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

Since lobelia are one of those plants that can tolerate quite a bit of cold weather you can plant them much earlier in the year than other plants that might not handle the cold.

The earliest that you can plant lobelia in Mountainside 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 lobelia and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your lobelia may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your lobelia indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Mountainside the average date of last frost happens on April 15. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 0°F.

Remember that the actual date of last frost is an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Mountainside and it will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Mountainside you get a frost after April 15 so just be sure to be ready to cover your lobelia if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Mountainside

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 Low	0°F
Highest Expected Low	5°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 Mountainside

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