One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out 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 earliest that you can plant caladium in Rutherford should be determined by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Caladium

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

Since caladium are not cold tolerant you must wait until after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant caladium in Rutherford 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 caladium and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your caladium may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your caladium indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on April 15 in Rutherford. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 0°F.

Remember that USDA zone info for Rutherford 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 Rutherford you get a frost after April 15 so just be sure to be ready to cover your caladium if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Rutherford

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 Rutherford

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