Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to determine your garden schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

It's possible to estimate when it's a good idea to plant tritoma by looking at the USDA zone info for Richmond.

Planting Calendar for Tritoma

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

Since tritoma do well in cold you can plant them earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant tritoma in Richmond is January. However, you really should wait until February if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant tritoma and expect a good harvest is probably October. If you wait any later than that and your tritoma may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your tritoma indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on February 15 in Richmond. You can expect an average low temperature of 20°F in the coldest months of winter.

Keep in mind that the actual date of last frost is just an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Richmond and it is different every year. Half of the time in Richmond last frost occurs after February 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your tritoma in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Richmond

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 Richmond

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