One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

It's a good idea to determine when it's a good idea to plant basil by reviewing the USDA zone info for Hopkins.

Planting Calendar for Basil

Frost tolerance for basil:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

It's not a good idea to plant basil until after the last frost because they require warm weather.

The earliest that you can plant basil in Hopkins is May. However, you really should wait until June if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant basil and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your basil may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your basil indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on May 15 in Hopkins. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -25°F.

It's important to remember that the actual date of last frost is not always accurate because it is based on the USDA zone info for Hopkins and it can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Hopkins last frost occurs after May 15 be ready to protect your basil if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Hopkins

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 Hopkins

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