The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

By looking at the USDA zone info for Ames it's possible to figure out when to plant browallia.

Planting Calendar for Browallia

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

You should not plant browallia until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they require warm weather.

The earliest that you can plant browallia in Ames 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 browallia and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your browallia may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your browallia indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on April 15 in Ames. You should expect an average low temperature of -20°F in the coldest months of winter.

Keep in mind that the actual date of last frost is not always accurate because it is based on the USDA zone info for Ames and it will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Ames you get a frost after April 15 be ready to cover your browallia if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Ames

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 Ames

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