Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to figure out 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.

A way of determining when to plant achimenes is to consult the USDA zone info for Portsmouth.

Planting Calendar for Achimenes

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

Since achimenes do not do well in cold weather you must wait until after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant achimenes in Portsmouth 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 achimenes and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your achimenes may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your achimenes indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on March 15 in Portsmouth. You can expect an average low temperature of 10°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Portsmouth is an average the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Portsmouth there is a last frost after March 15 so always be ready to protect your achimenes in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Portsmouth

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 Portsmouth

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