One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

By looking at the USDA zone info for Bethalto it's a good idea to estimate when it's the best time to plant erysimum.

Planting Calendar for Erysimum

Frost tolerance for erysimum:	Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant:	Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

Erysimum do ok in mild cold which means that you can plant them a little earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant erysimum in Bethalto is February. However, you really should wait until March if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant erysimum and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your erysimum may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your erysimum indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Bethalto. You can expect an average low temperature of -10°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Bethalto is an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Bethalto there is a last frost after April 15 be ready to protect your erysimum in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Bethalto

Here is the info for USDA Zone 6a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-10°F
Highest Expected Low	-5°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -10°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -5°F.

Plants to Grow in Bethalto

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