One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

One way of getting a good idea when it's a good idea to plant chard is to check out the USDA zone info for Fate.

Planting Calendar for Chard

Frost tolerance for chard:	Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant:	Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

You can plant chard a little bit earlier in the year because they do well in moderate cold.

The earliest that you can plant chard in Fate 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 chard and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your chard may not have a chance to fully mature. If you are starting your chard indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on March 15 in Fate. It might get as low as 10°F during the coldest months of winter.

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for Fate is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Fate there is a last frost after March 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your chard in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Fate

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 Fate

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