One of the first steps you take when you are determining 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.

One way of estimating when it's a good idea to plant rudbeckia is to examine the USDA zone info for Valley Stream.

Planting Calendar for Rudbeckia

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

Rudbeckia do well in moderate cold which tells us that you can start planting them earlier than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant rudbeckia in Valley Stream 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 rudbeckia and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your rudbeckia may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your rudbeckia indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Valley Stream. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 5°F.

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Valley Stream may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Valley Stream there is a last frost after April 15 be ready to cover your rudbeckia if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Valley Stream

Here is the info for USDA Zone 7b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	5°F
Highest Expected Low	10°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 5°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 10°F.

Plants to Grow in Valley Stream

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Valley Stream.