One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us determine 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.

By looking at the USDA zone info for Dardanelle you will be able to figure out when it's possible to plant melons.

Planting Calendar for Melons

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

Since melons require warm weather you need to wait until after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant melons in Dardanelle 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 melons and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your melons may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your melons 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 Dardanelle. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 5°F.

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Dardanelle is an average and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Dardanelle you get a frost after April 15 be ready to cover your melons if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Dardanelle

Here is the info for USDA Zone 7b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	5°F
Highest Expected Low	10°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 10°F.

Plants to Grow in Dardanelle

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