Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to estimate your garden schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

A common way of getting a good idea when it's the best time to plant shallots is to use the USDA zone info for Commerce.

Planting Calendar for Shallots

Frost tolerance for shallots:	Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

Shallots do ok in moderate cold which means that you can get them planted just a bit earlier than more sensitive plants.

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

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in Commerce. You can expect an average low temperature of 10°F in the coldest months of winter.

Remember that USDA zone info for Commerce is just an average and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Commerce it frosts late in the year after March 15 be ready to cover your shallots in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Commerce

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 Commerce

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