One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us determine 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.

The first opportunity to plant impatiens in Austin should be figured out by checking out the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Impatiens

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

Since impatiens require warm 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 impatiens in Austin is May. However, you really should wait until June if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant impatiens and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your impatiens may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your impatiens indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average all chance of frost has passed is on May 15 in Austin. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -25°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Austin may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Austin there is a last frost after May 15 be ready to cover your impatiens if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Austin

Here is the info for USDA Zone 4b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	May 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	September 15
Lowest Expected Low	-25°F
Highest Expected Low	-20°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -25°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -20°F.

Plants to Grow in Austin

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