When to Plant Tithonia in Zone 3a

One of the first steps you take when you are making a decision about your gardening schedule is find your 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 common way of getting a good idea when it's a good idea to plant tithonia is to consult the USDA zone info for Zone 3a.


Planting Calendar for Tithonia

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

You can not plant tithonia until after the last frost has passed because they require warm weather.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant tithonia
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant tithonia
Probably not a good time to plant tithonia

The earliest that you can plant tithonia in Zone 3a is May. However, you really should wait until June if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant tithonia and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your tithonia may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your tithonia indoors.

Last Frost Date

In Zone 3a the average date of last frost happens on May 15. It might get as low as -40°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Zone 3a may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Zone 3a it frosts late in the year after May 15 so just be sure to be ready to protect your tithonia if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Zone 3a

Here is the info for USDA Zone 3a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)May 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)September 15
Lowest Expected Low-40°F
Highest Expected Low-35°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -40°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -35°F.

Plants to Grow in Zone 3a

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Zone 3a.