The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

In Elk River you can estimate when it's possible to plant tall phlox by checking out the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Tall Phlox

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

You can plant tall phlox a little bit earlier in the year because they are moderately cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant tall phlox in Elk River 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 tall phlox and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your tall phlox may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your tall phlox 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 Elk River. It might get as low as -25°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Elk River is just an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Elk River you get surprised by a frost after May 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your tall phlox if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Elk River

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 Elk River

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Elk River.