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

By using the USDA zone info for Troutdale it's possible to estimate when you can plant chives.

Planting Calendar for Chives

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

Chives do well in pretty solid cold which means that you can plant them a lot earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant chives in Troutdale 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 chives and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your chives may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your chives indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in Troutdale. You can expect an average low temperature of 15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Troutdale is an average the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Troutdale there is a last frost after March 15 be ready to protect your chives if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Troutdale

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	15°F
Highest Expected Low	20°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 20°F.

Plants to Grow in Troutdale

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