One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule is the 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.

By using the USDA zone info for Saginaw you should be able to determine when it's the best time to plant zinnia.

Planting Calendar for Zinnia

Frost tolerance for zinnia:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

Since zinnia do not do well in cold weather you have to wait until after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant zinnia in Saginaw 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 zinnia and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your zinnia may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your zinnia indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on April 15 in Saginaw. You should expect an average low temperature of -10°F in the coldest months of winter.

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Saginaw 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 Saginaw you get a frost after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your zinnia in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Saginaw

Here is the info for USDA Zone 6a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-10°F
Highest Expected Low	-5°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -10°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -5°F.

Plants to Grow in Saginaw

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