One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out your gardening schedule is find your 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.

You will be able to estimate when it's the best time to plant alternanthera by referring to the USDA zone info for Merrillville.

Planting Calendar for Alternanthera

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

Since alternanthera require warm weather you have to wait until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant alternanthera in Merrillville 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 alternanthera and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your alternanthera may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your alternanthera indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on April 15 in Merrillville. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Merrillville is not always accurate the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Merrillville there is a last frost after April 15 be ready to cover your alternanthera in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Merrillville

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 Merrillville

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