Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to determine 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.

You will be able to estimate when it's a good idea to plant perilla by referring to the USDA zone info for Athens.

Planting Calendar for Perilla

Frost tolerance for perilla:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost.

You can not plant perilla until after the last frost has passed because they require warm weather.

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

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on April 15 in Athens. You should expect an average low temperature of 0°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Athens may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Athens you get a frost after April 15 be ready to protect your perilla in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Athens

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 Athens

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