One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule is the 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.

In Bessemer you can figure out when you can plant torenia by looking at the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Torenia

Frost tolerance for torenia:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

It's probably not a good idea to plant torenia until after the last frost because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant torenia in Bessemer 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 torenia and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your torenia may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your torenia indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Bessemer the average date of last frost happens on March 15. It might get as low as 10°F during the coldest months of winter.

Keep in mind that the actual date of last frost may not be accurate from year to year because it is based on the USDA zone info for Bessemer and it can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Bessemer you get surprised by a frost after March 15 so always be ready to protect your torenia in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Bessemer

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 Bessemer

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