One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

A way of making a decision about when you can plant marigold is to use the USDA zone info for West Columbia.

Planting Calendar for Marigold

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

You can not plant marigold until after all chance of frost has passed because they do not do well in cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant marigold in West Columbia 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 marigold and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your marigold may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your marigold indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in West Columbia. It might get as low as 10°F during the coldest months of winter.

Just be sure to remember that USDA zone info for West Columbia is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in West Columbia you get surprised by a frost after March 15 so just be sure to be ready to cover your marigold in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for West 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 West Columbia

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