One of the first steps you take when you are making a decision about your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

A way of estimating when it's the best time to plant turnips is to consult the USDA zone info for Benton.

Planting Calendar for Turnips

Frost tolerance for turnips:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost has passed.

Since turnips require warm weather it is necessary to wait until after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant turnips in Benton 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 turnips and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your turnips may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your turnips 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 Benton. You can expect an average low temperature of 0°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Benton is just an average the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Benton it frosts late in the year after April 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your turnips if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Benton

Here is the info for USDA Zone 7a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	0°F
Highest Expected Low	5°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 0°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 5°F.

Plants to Grow in Benton

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