One of the first steps you take when you are estimating 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.

The USDA zone info for Lake Charles can be used to determine when it's the best time to plant bachelor buttons.

Planting Calendar for Bachelor Buttons

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

Since bachelor buttons are moderately cold tolerant you can plant them a little bit earlier in the year than plants that are more sensitive to the cold.

The earliest that you can plant bachelor buttons in Lake Charles is January. However, you really should wait until February if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant bachelor buttons and expect a good harvest is probably October. If you wait any later than that and your bachelor buttons may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your bachelor buttons indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is February 15 in Lake Charles. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of 20°F.

It's important to remember that the actual date of last frost is an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Lake Charles and it can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Lake Charles there is a last frost after February 15 be ready to protect your bachelor buttons if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Lake Charles

Here is the info for USDA Zone 9a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	February 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	20°F
Highest Expected Low	25°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 20°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 25°F.

Plants to Grow in Lake Charles

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Lake Charles.