One of the first steps you take when you are determining 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.

By referring to the USDA zone info for Belle Plaine you should be able to figure out when to plant lupine.

Planting Calendar for Lupine

Frost tolerance for lupine:	Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant:	Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

Lupine tend to make it in some cold which means that you can plant them a little earlier in the year than other plants that might not handle the cold.

The earliest that you can plant lupine in Belle Plaine is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant lupine and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your lupine may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your lupine indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is May 15 in Belle Plaine. It might get as low as -25°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Belle Plaine is just an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Belle Plaine there is a last frost after May 15 so just be sure to be ready to protect your lupine if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Belle Plaine

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 Belle Plaine

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Belle Plaine.