One of the first steps you take when you are making a decision about your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

One way of estimating when you can plant fennel is to check out the USDA zone info for Copperas Cove.

Planting Calendar for Fennel

Frost tolerance for fennel:	Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

Fennel can survive in quite a bit of cold which means that you can plant them a lot earlier in the year than plants that are more sensitive to the cold.

The earliest that you can plant fennel in Copperas Cove is February. However, you really should wait until March if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant fennel and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your fennel may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your fennel indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in Copperas Cove. It might get as low as 10°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Copperas Cove may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Copperas Cove it frosts late in the year after March 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your fennel in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Copperas Cove

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 Copperas Cove

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Copperas Cove.