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.

One way of estimating when it's a good idea to plant rudbeckia is to check out the USDA zone info for Gig Harbor.

Planting Calendar for Rudbeckia

Frost tolerance for rudbeckia:	Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant:	Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

You can plant rudbeckia just a bit earlier in the year because they are moderately cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant rudbeckia in Gig Harbor is February. However, you really should wait until March if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant rudbeckia and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your rudbeckia may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your rudbeckia indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on March 15 in Gig Harbor. You can expect an average low temperature of 15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Remember that USDA zone info for Gig Harbor may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Gig Harbor there is a last frost after March 15 so make sure that you are ready to protect your rudbeckia if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Gig Harbor

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	15°F
Highest Expected Low	20°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 15°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 20°F.

Plants to Grow in Gig Harbor

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Gig Harbor.