Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to figure out 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.

The USDA zone info for Hugo should be reviewed to estimate when you can plant balsam.

Planting Calendar for Balsam

Frost tolerance for balsam:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost has passed.

Since balsam do not do well in cold weather it is important to wait until after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant balsam in Hugo 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 balsam and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your balsam may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your balsam 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 Hugo. It might get as low as -25°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Hugo is just an average the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Hugo it frosts late in the year after May 15 be ready to protect your balsam in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Hugo

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 Hugo

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