One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us determine 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 Helena should be looked at to estimate when it's the best time to plant lavender cotton.

Planting Calendar for Lavender Cotton

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

Lavender Cotton do well in quite a bit of cold which tells us that you can plant them earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant lavender cotton in Helena 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 lavender cotton and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your lavender cotton may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your lavender cotton indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

Always keep in mind that the actual date of last frost may not be accurate from year to year because it is based on the USDA zone info for Helena and it can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Helena last frost occurs after May 15 be ready to cover your lavender cotton in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Helena

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 Helena

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