One of the first steps you take when you are making a decision about 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 Swarthmore you can determine when it's possible to plant tithonia by checking out the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Tithonia

Frost tolerance for tithonia:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

You can not plant tithonia until after all chance of frost has passed because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant tithonia in Swarthmore 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 tithonia and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your tithonia may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your tithonia indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Swarthmore. You can expect an average low temperature of 0°F in the coldest months of winter.

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for Swarthmore is an average and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Swarthmore there is a last frost after April 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your tithonia in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Swarthmore

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 Swarthmore

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