Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to determine your garden schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

You can figure out when to plant begonias in Alpena by looking at the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Begonias

Frost tolerance for begonias:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost.

You can not plant begonias until after the last frost has passed because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant begonias in Alpena 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 begonias and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your begonias may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your begonias indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on April 15 in Alpena. It might get as low as -15°F during the coldest months of winter.

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Alpena is just an average and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Alpena you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to protect your begonias if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Alpena

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 Alpena

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