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.

One way of determining when you can plant cantaloupes is to refer to the USDA zone info for Lake Wales.

Planting Calendar for Cantaloupes

Frost tolerance for cantaloupes:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost.

Cantaloupes require warm weather which means that it is necessary to wait until it warms up after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant cantaloupes in Lake Wales is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant cantaloupes and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your cantaloupes may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your cantaloupes indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is February 15 in Lake Wales. It might get as low as 25°F during the coldest months of winter.

Remember that USDA zone info for Lake Wales is an average and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Lake Wales last frost occurs after February 15 be ready to cover your cantaloupes if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Lake Wales

Here is the info for USDA Zone 9b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	February 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	25°F
Highest Expected Low	30°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 25°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 30°F.

Plants to Grow in Lake Wales

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Lake Wales.