One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

By checking out the USDA zone info for Berea you will be able to estimate when it's the best time to plant catharanthus.

Planting Calendar for Catharanthus

Frost tolerance for catharanthus:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

Since catharanthus do not do well in cold weather you have to wait until after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant catharanthus in Berea 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 catharanthus and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your catharanthus may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your catharanthus 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 Berea. You can expect an average low temperature of -10°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Berea is an average the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Berea there is a last frost after April 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your catharanthus if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Berea

Here is the info for USDA Zone 6a.

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

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

Plants to Grow in Berea

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