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.

By using the USDA zone info for Bunkie you should be able to estimate when you can plant balsam.

Planting Calendar for Balsam

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

Since balsam do not do well in cold weather it is important to wait until after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant balsam in Bunkie is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant balsam and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your balsam may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your balsam indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is February 15 in Bunkie. It might get as low as 20°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Bunkie is an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Bunkie last frost occurs after February 15 be ready to protect your balsam in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Bunkie

Here is the info for USDA Zone 9a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	February 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	20°F
Highest Expected Low	25°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 25°F.

Plants to Grow in Bunkie

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