Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to estimate your garden schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

One way of getting a good idea when it's possible to plant perilla is to consult the USDA zone info for Watertown.

Planting Calendar for Perilla

Frost tolerance for perilla:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost.

Perilla do not do well in cold weather which means that you must wait until it warms up after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant perilla in Watertown 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 perilla and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your perilla may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your perilla indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Watertown. You should expect an average low temperature of -20°F in the coldest months of winter.

Remember that USDA zone info for Watertown is just an average and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Watertown there is a last frost after April 15 so be sure to be ready to protect your perilla in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Watertown

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-20°F
Highest Expected Low	-15°F

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

Plants to Grow in Watertown

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