The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

In Johnson City you can figure out when it's possible to plant kale by looking at the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Kale

Frost tolerance for kale:	Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant:	Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

Since kale do well in moderate cold you can plant them a little bit earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant kale in Johnson City 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 kale and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your kale may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your kale indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Johnson City. It might get as low as -15°F during the coldest months of winter.

Just be sure to remember that USDA zone info for Johnson City 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 Johnson City last frost occurs after April 15 so always be ready to cover your kale in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Johnson City

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5b.

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

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -15°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -10°F.

Plants to Grow in Johnson City

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Johnson City.