One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

The USDA zone info for Big Lake can be used to determine when you can plant arabis.

Planting Calendar for Arabis

Frost tolerance for arabis:	Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

Since arabis do well in cold you can plant them a lot earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant arabis in Big Lake 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 arabis and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your arabis may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your arabis indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Big Lake may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Big Lake there is a last frost after May 15 be ready to protect your arabis if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Big Lake

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 Big Lake

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Big Lake.