The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us determine your gardening schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

By using the USDA zone info for Athens it's a good idea to determine when it's a good idea to plant periwinkles.

Planting Calendar for Periwinkles

Frost tolerance for periwinkles:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

You really shouldn't plant periwinkles until after the last frost has passed because they are not cold tolerant.

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

Last Frost Date

On average all chance of frost has passed is on March 15 in Athens. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of 10°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Athens is not always accurate the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Athens last frost occurs after March 15 be ready to protect your periwinkles in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Athens

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 Athens

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