One of the first steps you take when you are estimating 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 first chance to plant balsam in Gypsum can be figured out by reviewing the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Balsam

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

Since balsam require warm weather it's important to wait until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant balsam in Gypsum 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 balsam and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your balsam may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your balsam indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on April 15 in Gypsum. It might get as low as -20°F during the coldest months of winter.

Remember that USDA zone info for Gypsum may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Gypsum you get surprised by a frost after April 15 be ready to cover your balsam in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Gypsum

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-20°F
Highest Expected Low	-15°F

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

Plants to Grow in Gypsum

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