One of the first steps you take when you are determining your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. 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 Ripon you will be able to estimate when you can plant snapdragons.

Planting Calendar for Snapdragons

Frost tolerance for snapdragons:	Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant:	Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

You can plant snapdragons a little bit earlier in the year because they are moderately cold tolerant.

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

The last month that you can plant snapdragons and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your snapdragons may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your snapdragons indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

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 Ripon and it will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Ripon you get a frost after April 15 be ready to cover your snapdragons if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Ripon

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 Ripon

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