Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to determine your garden schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

A way of making a decision about when to plant oenothera is to use the USDA zone info for Big Lake.

Planting Calendar for Oenothera

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

You can plant oenothera just a bit earlier in the year because they do well in moderate cold.

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

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is May 15 in Big Lake. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -25°F.

Remember that USDA zone info for Big Lake 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 Big Lake it frosts late in the year after May 15 so make sure that you are prepared to protect your oenothera in the event of one of those late frosts.

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.