One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

A way of getting a good idea when it's a good idea to plant dahlias is to use the USDA zone info for Bentonville.

Planting Calendar for Dahlias

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

Dahlias require warm weather which tells us that you must wait until it warms up after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant dahlias in Bentonville 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 dahlias and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your dahlias may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your dahlias indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Bentonville. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -5°F.

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Bentonville is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Bentonville you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so just be sure to be ready to cover your dahlias if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Bentonville

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 Bentonville

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