The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us determine 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.

A way of figuring out when to plant portulaca is to refer to the USDA zone info for Zone 6b.

Planting Calendar for Portulaca

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

Since portulaca require warm weather you need to wait until after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant portulaca in Zone 6b 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 portulaca and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your portulaca may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your portulaca indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on April 15 in Zone 6b. It might get as low as -5°F during the coldest months of winter.

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Zone 6b is an average and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Zone 6b you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so just be sure to be ready to protect your portulaca in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Zone 6b

Here is the info for USDA Zone 6b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-5°F
Highest Expected Low	0°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -5°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 0°F.

Plants to Grow in Zone 6b

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Zone 6b.