Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to estimate 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 making a decision about when to plant tropical water plants is to check out the USDA zone info for Lancaster.

Planting Calendar for Tropical Water Plants

Frost tolerance for tropical water plants:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost.

It's not a good idea to plant tropical water plants until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they require warm weather.

The earliest that you can plant tropical water plants in Lancaster 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 tropical water plants and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your tropical water plants may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your tropical water plants indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on March 15 in Lancaster. It might get as low as 10°F during the coldest months of winter.

Just be sure to remember that USDA zone info for Lancaster may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Lancaster you get surprised by a frost after March 15 so just be sure to be ready to cover your tropical water plants in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Lancaster

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 Lancaster

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