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.

The USDA zone info for Pittsfield can be used to estimate when it's the best time to plant pole beans.

Planting Calendar for Pole beans

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

Pole beans are not cold tolerant which tells us that you must wait until it warms up after the last frost when the weather gets warmer before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant pole beans in Pittsfield 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 pole beans and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your pole beans may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your pole beans indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for Pittsfield may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Pittsfield there is a last frost after April 15 be ready to cover your pole beans in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Pittsfield

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 Pittsfield

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