One of the first steps you take when you are making a decision about 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 Big Rapids should be looked at to figure out when it's possible to plant chrysocephalum.

Planting Calendar for Chrysocephalum

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

You really shouldn't plant chrysocephalum until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they are not cold tolerant.

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

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Big Rapids. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -20°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Big Rapids is not always accurate the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Big Rapids you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to protect your chrysocephalum if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Big Rapids

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-20°F
Highest Expected Low	-15°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -20°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -15°F.

Plants to Grow in Big Rapids

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Big Rapids.