One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us determine your gardening schedule is the 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 it's a good idea to plant polka dot plant is to examine the USDA zone info for Hempstead.

Planting Calendar for Polka Dot Plant

Frost tolerance for polka dot plant:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

You can not plant polka dot plant until after the last frost because they are not cold tolerant.

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

Last Frost Date

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

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Hempstead may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Hempstead you get surprised by a frost after February 15 so make sure that you are prepared to protect your polka dot plant if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Hempstead

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 Hempstead

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