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

In Minnetonka you can estimate when it's the best time to plant dahlias by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Dahlias

Frost tolerance for dahlias:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

Since dahlias do not do well in cold weather it's important to wait until after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant dahlias in Minnetonka 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 dahlias and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your dahlias may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your dahlias indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is May 15 in Minnetonka. It might get as low as -25°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Minnetonka is not always accurate the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Minnetonka it frosts late in the year after May 15 so make sure that you are prepared to protect your dahlias if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Minnetonka

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 Minnetonka

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