When to Plant Achimenes in Boston, MA

One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us figure out 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.

The first opportunity to plant achimenes in Boston can be figured out by looking at the USDA zone info.


Planting Calendar for Achimenes

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

Achimenes do not do well in cold weather which means that you must wait until it warms up after the last frost before you can plant them.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant achimenes
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant achimenes
Probably not a good time to plant achimenes

The earliest that you can plant achimenes in Boston 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 achimenes and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your achimenes may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your achimenes indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Boston. It might get as low as -5°F during the coldest months of winter.

Keep in mind that the actual date of last frost may not be accurate from year to year because it is based on the USDA zone info for Boston and it can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Boston you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to protect your achimenes in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Boston

Here is the info for USDA Zone 6b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)October 15
Lowest Expected Low-5°F
Highest Expected Low0°F

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

Plants to Grow in Boston

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