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

A way of figuring out when it's possible to plant achimenes is to refer to the USDA zone info for Albany.

Planting Calendar for Achimenes

Frost tolerance for achimenes:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

It's probably a bad idea to plant achimenes until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant achimenes in Albany is February. However, you really should wait until March if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant achimenes and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your achimenes may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your achimenes indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Albany the average date of last frost happens on January 31. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 30°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Albany is just an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Albany there is a last frost after January 31 so make sure that you are ready to protect your achimenes if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Albany

Here is the info for USDA Zone 10a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	January 31
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	30°F
Highest Expected Low	35°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 30°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 35°F.

Plants to Grow in Albany

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