Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to determine your garden schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

A way of estimating when it's a good idea to plant chard is to use the USDA zone info for Folcroft.

Planting Calendar for Chard

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

Since chard do well in moderate cold you can plant them just a bit earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant chard in Folcroft 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 chard and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your chard may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your chard 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 Folcroft. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 0°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Folcroft is not always accurate the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Folcroft last frost occurs after April 15 so make sure that you are ready to protect your chard if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Folcroft

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 Folcroft

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