One of the first steps you take when you are estimating your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

It's possible to determine when it's the best time to plant marigold by referring to the USDA zone info for Cleveland.

Planting Calendar for Marigold

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

Since marigold require warm weather it's important to wait until after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant marigold in Cleveland is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant marigold and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your marigold may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your marigold indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is February 15 in Cleveland. You can expect an average low temperature of 20°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Cleveland may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Cleveland it frosts late in the year after February 15 so always be ready to protect your marigold if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Cleveland

Here is the info for USDA Zone 9a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	February 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	20°F
Highest Expected Low	25°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 20°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 25°F.

Plants to Grow in Cleveland

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