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.

One way of figuring out when it's a good idea to plant rudbeckia is to refer to the USDA zone info for Shakopee.

Planting Calendar for Rudbeckia

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

Rudbeckia are moderately cold tolerant which tells us that you can get them planted earlier than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant rudbeckia in Shakopee 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 rudbeckia and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your rudbeckia may not have a chance to fully mature. If you are starting your rudbeckia indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is May 15 in Shakopee. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -25°F.

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Shakopee is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Shakopee it frosts late in the year after May 15 so just be sure to be ready to protect your rudbeckia in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Shakopee

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 Shakopee

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