One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us figure out 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.

A way of figuring out when it's a good idea to plant marigold is to examine the USDA zone info for Hopewell.

Planting Calendar for Marigold

Frost tolerance for marigold:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

You really shouldn't plant marigold until after the last frost has passed because they do not do well in cold weather.

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

Last Frost Date

In Hopewell the average date of last frost happens on April 15. It might get as low as 5°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Hopewell is just an average the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Hopewell you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your marigold in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Hopewell

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 Hopewell

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