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.

By referring to the USDA zone info for Slaton it's possible to estimate when it's possible to plant cosmos.

Planting Calendar for Cosmos

Frost tolerance for cosmos:	Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

Cosmos can survive in mild cold which tells us that you can plant them slightly earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant cosmos in Slaton 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 cosmos and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your cosmos may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your cosmos indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on April 15 in Slaton. It might get as low as 5°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Slaton is an average the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Slaton you get a frost after April 15 be ready to cover your cosmos in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Slaton

Here is the info for USDA Zone 7b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	5°F
Highest Expected Low	10°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 5°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 10°F.

Plants to Grow in Slaton

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