The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

By looking at the USDA zone info for Big Rapids you should be able to determine when it's a good idea to plant schizanthus.

Planting Calendar for Schizanthus

Frost tolerance for schizanthus:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

Since schizanthus are not cold tolerant it's necessary to wait until after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant schizanthus 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 schizanthus and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your schizanthus may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your schizanthus indoors.

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 an average the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Big Rapids you get a frost after April 15 be ready to cover your schizanthus 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.