One of the first steps you take when you are determining 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.

It's possible to estimate when to plant copperleaf by using the USDA zone info for Helena.

Planting Calendar for Copperleaf

Frost tolerance for copperleaf:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

Since copperleaf are not cold tolerant it is necessary to wait until after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant copperleaf in Helena 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 copperleaf and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your copperleaf may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your copperleaf indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in Helena. It might get as low as 10°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Helena is an average the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Helena there is a last frost after March 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your copperleaf in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Helena

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 Helena

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