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.

The USDA zone info for Bonne Terre should be read to figure out when it's possible to plant painted tongues.

Planting Calendar for Painted Tongues

Frost tolerance for painted tongues:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost.

You should not plant painted tongues until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they require warm weather.

The earliest that you can plant painted tongues in Bonne Terre is April. However, you really should wait until May if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant painted tongues and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your painted tongues may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your painted tongues indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Bonne Terre. It might get as low as -10°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Bonne Terre may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Bonne Terre you get surprised by a frost after April 15 be ready to cover your painted tongues if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Bonne Terre

Here is the info for USDA Zone 6a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-10°F
Highest Expected Low	-5°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -10°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -5°F.

Plants to Grow in Bonne Terre

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Bonne Terre.