Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to figure out your garden schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

One way of figuring out when it's the best time to plant begonias is to consult the USDA zone info for Normal.

Planting Calendar for Begonias

Frost tolerance for begonias:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost.

You really shouldn't plant begonias until after the last frost has passed because they do not do well in cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant begonias in Normal 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 begonias and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your begonias may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your begonias indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Just be sure to remember that USDA zone info for Normal may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Normal you get a frost after April 15 so just be sure to be ready to cover your begonias in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Normal

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5b.

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

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -15°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -10°F.

Plants to Grow in Normal

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