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

By using the USDA zone info for Dallas it's possible to figure out when it's a good idea to plant cantaloupes.

Planting Calendar for Cantaloupes

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

Since cantaloupes require warm weather you have to wait until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant cantaloupes in Dallas 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 cantaloupes and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your cantaloupes may not have a chance to fully mature. If you are starting your cantaloupes indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average all chance of frost has passed is on April 15 in Dallas. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of 5°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Dallas may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Dallas there is a last frost after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your cantaloupes in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Dallas

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 Dallas

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