One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out 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.

In Norristown you can determine when it's possible to plant fennel by using the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Fennel

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

Since fennel are very cold tolerant you can plant them earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant fennel in Norristown 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 fennel and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your fennel may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your fennel indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Norristown. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 0°F.

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Norristown is just an average and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Norristown you get surprised by a frost after April 15 be ready to protect your fennel if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Norristown

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 Norristown

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