One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out 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 figuring out when it's a good idea to plant black eyed susans is to check out the USDA zone info for Dayton.

Planting Calendar for Black Eyed Susans

Frost tolerance for black eyed susans:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

Since black eyed susans are not cold tolerant it is necessary to wait until after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant black eyed susans in Dayton 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 black eyed susans and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your black eyed susans may not have a chance to fully mature. If you are starting your black eyed susans indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Dayton the average date of last frost happens on February 15. It might get as low as 20°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Dayton is not always accurate the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Dayton you get surprised by a frost after February 15 so always be ready to protect your black eyed susans if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Dayton

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 Dayton

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