The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

In Newport News you can figure out when it's the best time to plant sunflowers by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Sunflowers

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

You should not plant sunflowers until after the last frost has passed because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant sunflowers in Newport News 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 sunflowers and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your sunflowers may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your sunflowers indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in Newport News. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of 10°F.

Just be sure to remember that USDA zone info for Newport News is an average and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Newport News you get surprised by a frost after March 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your sunflowers in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Newport News

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	10°F
Highest Expected Low	15°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 10°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 15°F.

Plants to Grow in Newport News

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Newport News.