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.

In Salem you can estimate when it's possible 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.

It's a bad idea to plant bidens until after all chance of frost has passed because they require warm weather.

The earliest that you can plant bidens in Salem 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. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your bidens may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your bidens indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Salem. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -10°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Salem is an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Salem you get surprised by a frost after April 15 be ready to cover your bidens in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Salem

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 Salem

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