One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us figure out 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.

A common way of making a decision about when it's a good idea to plant violas is to consult the USDA zone info for Sartell.

Planting Calendar for Violas

Frost tolerance for violas:	Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

Violas can survive in quite a bit of cold which means that you can plant them earlier in the year than plants that are more sensitive to the cold.

The earliest that you can plant violas in Sartell 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 violas and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your violas may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your violas indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Sartell the average date of last frost happens on May 15. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -30°F.

Keep in mind that the actual date of last frost is an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Sartell and it changes from year to year. Half of the time in Sartell you get surprised by a frost after May 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your violas in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Sartell

Here is the info for USDA Zone 4a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	May 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	September 15
Lowest Expected Low	-30°F
Highest Expected Low	-25°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -30°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -25°F.

Plants to Grow in Sartell

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