One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out 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.

A way of getting a good idea when it's the best time to plant polygonums is to consult the USDA zone info for Cleveland.

Planting Calendar for Polygonums

Frost tolerance for polygonums:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost has passed.

It's not a good idea to plant polygonums until after the last frost because they require warm weather.

The earliest that you can plant polygonums 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 polygonums and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your polygonums may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your polygonums indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is February 15 in Cleveland. It might get as low as 20°F during the coldest months of winter.

It's important to remember that the actual date of last frost is just an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Cleveland and it is different every year. Half of the time in Cleveland there is a last frost after February 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your polygonums in the event of 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.