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

The USDA zone info for Columbia can be reviewed to estimate when to plant rhubarb.

Planting Calendar for Rhubarb

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

Rhubarb can survive in mild cold which tells us that you can plant them just a bit earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant rhubarb in Columbia 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 rhubarb and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your rhubarb may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your rhubarb indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in Columbia. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 10°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Columbia may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Columbia it frosts late in the year after March 15 so always be ready to protect your rhubarb if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Columbia

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	10°F
Highest Expected Low	15°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 10°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 15°F.

Plants to Grow in Columbia

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