One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea 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.

A common way of figuring out when it's a good idea to plant dahlia is to use the USDA zone info for Plainview.

Planting Calendar for Dahlia

Frost tolerance for dahlia:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost has passed.

Since dahlia do not do well in cold weather it is important to wait until after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant dahlia in Plainview is April. However, you really should wait until May if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant dahlia and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your dahlia may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your dahlia indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on April 15 in Plainview. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 0°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Plainview is just an average the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Plainview you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to protect your dahlia if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Plainview

Here is the info for USDA Zone 7a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	0°F
Highest Expected Low	5°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 0°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 5°F.

Plants to Grow in Plainview

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