Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to figure out your garden schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

The first opportunity to plant achimenes in Benton Harbor can be figured out by checking out 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.

Since achimenes do not do well in cold weather it's important to wait until after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant achimenes in Benton Harbor 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. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else 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 few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on April 15 in Benton Harbor. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -5°F.

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for Benton Harbor may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Benton Harbor there is a last frost after April 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your achimenes if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Benton Harbor

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 Low	0°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 Benton Harbor

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Benton Harbor.