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.

A way of determining when to plant runner beans is to refer to the USDA zone info for Albion.

Planting Calendar for Runner beans

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

You should not plant runner beans until after the last frost has passed because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant runner beans in Albion 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 runner beans and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your runner beans may not have a chance to fully mature. If you are starting your runner beans indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Albion may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Albion it frosts late in the year after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to protect your runner beans if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Albion

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 Albion

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