One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea 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.

The USDA zone info for Benson can be looked at to estimate when it's the best time to plant ageratum.

Planting Calendar for Ageratum

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

You should not plant ageratum until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they require warm weather.

The earliest that you can plant ageratum in Benson 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 ageratum and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your ageratum may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your ageratum indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in Benson. You can expect an average low temperature of 15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Benson is an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Benson last frost occurs after March 15 be ready to cover your ageratum in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Benson

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	15°F
Highest Expected Low	20°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 15°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 20°F.

Plants to Grow in Benson

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