Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to figure out your garden schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

By using the USDA zone info for Old Forge you should be able to determine when it's the best time to plant dianthus.

Planting Calendar for Dianthus

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

Dianthus do ok in mild cold which means that you can plant them a bit earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant dianthus in Old Forge 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 dianthus and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your dianthus may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your dianthus indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average all chance of frost has passed is on April 15 in Old Forge. It might get as low as -5°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Old Forge is not always accurate the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Old Forge there is a last frost after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your dianthus in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Old Forge

Here is the info for USDA Zone 6b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-5°F
Highest Expected Low	0°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 0°F.

Plants to Grow in Old Forge

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Old Forge.