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

The USDA zone info for Chino Valley can be read to figure out when it's the best time 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.

You really shouldn't plant melons until after all chance of frost has passed because they do not do well in cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant melons in Chino Valley 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. If you wait any later than that and your melons may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your melons indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Since the USDA zone info for Chino Valley is an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Chino Valley there is a last frost after April 15 be ready to protect your melons in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Chino Valley

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 Chino Valley

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Chino Valley.