One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

A way of estimating when it's a good idea to plant pincushion flower is to consult the USDA zone info for Cambridge.

Planting Calendar for Pincushion Flower

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

Since pincushion flower are moderately cold tolerant you can plant them a little earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant pincushion flower in Cambridge 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 pincushion flower and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your pincushion flower may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your pincushion flower indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Cambridge the average date of last frost happens on May 15. It might get as low as -30°F during the coldest months of winter.

Remember that USDA zone info for Cambridge may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Cambridge you get surprised by a frost after May 15 be ready to cover your pincushion flower if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Cambridge

Here is the info for USDA Zone 4a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	May 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	September 15
Lowest Expected Low	-30°F
Highest Expected Low	-25°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -30°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -25°F.

Plants to Grow in Cambridge

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