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.

By referring to the USDA zone info for Storm Lake you will be able to determine when it's the best time to plant black eyed susans.

Planting Calendar for Black Eyed Susans

Frost tolerance for black eyed susans:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

It's probably not a good idea to plant black eyed susans until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant black eyed susans in Storm Lake 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 black eyed susans and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your black eyed susans may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your black eyed susans indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Storm Lake may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Storm Lake last frost occurs after April 15 be ready to protect your black eyed susans in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Storm Lake

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 Storm Lake

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