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.

You will be able to determine when it's the best time to plant cantaloupes by referring to the USDA zone info for Poplar Bluff.

Planting Calendar for Cantaloupes

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

Since cantaloupes require warm weather you need to wait until after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

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

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on April 15 in Poplar Bluff. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 0°F.

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Poplar Bluff is an average and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Poplar Bluff you get surprised by a frost after April 15 be ready to protect your cantaloupes if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Poplar Bluff

Here is the info for USDA Zone 7a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	0°F
Highest Expected Low	5°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 0°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 5°F.

Plants to Grow in Poplar Bluff

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Poplar Bluff.