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.

In Grand Rapids you can figure out when it's a good idea to plant maltese cross by using the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Maltese Cross

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

Maltese Cross can survive in moderate cold which means that you can plant them a bit earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant maltese cross in Grand Rapids 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 maltese cross and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your maltese cross may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your maltese cross indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Grand Rapids the average date of last frost happens on May 15. You should expect an average low temperature of -35°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Grand Rapids is not always accurate the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Grand Rapids you get surprised by a frost after May 15 be ready to protect your maltese cross if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Grand Rapids

Here is the info for USDA Zone 3b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	May 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	September 15
Lowest Expected Low	-35°F
Highest Expected Low	-30°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -35°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -30°F.

Plants to Grow in Grand Rapids

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Grand Rapids.