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

In Denison you can estimate when it's the best time to plant melons by using the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Melons

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

You should not plant melons until after the last frost has passed because they require warm weather.

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

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Denison. It might get as low as -20°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Denison is just an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Denison it frosts late in the year after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your melons in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Denison

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 Denison

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