One of the first steps you take when you are estimating your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

In Big Rapids you can determine when it's the best time to plant nasturtium by using the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Nasturtium

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

It's not a good idea to plant nasturtium until after the last frost because they do not do well in cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant nasturtium 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 nasturtium and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your nasturtium may not have a chance to fully mature. If you are starting your nasturtium indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Big Rapids. In the coldest months of winter you should 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 will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Big Rapids you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so just be sure to be ready to cover your nasturtium if you have a 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.