One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out your gardening schedule is find your 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.

In Cedar Rapids you can determine when it's the best time to plant bidens by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Bidens

Frost tolerance for bidens:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost has passed.

Bidens are not cold tolerant which means that you have to wait until it warms up after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant bidens in Cedar Rapids 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 bidens and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your bidens may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your bidens indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Cedar Rapids the average date of last frost happens on April 15. You can expect an average low temperature of -20°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Cedar Rapids is not always accurate the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Cedar Rapids you get a frost after April 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your bidens in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Cedar Rapids

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 Cedar Rapids

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Cedar Rapids.