The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

One way of estimating when you can plant balsam is to look at the USDA zone info for Hamlet.

Planting Calendar for Balsam

Frost tolerance for balsam:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

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

The earliest that you can plant balsam in Hamlet 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 balsam and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your balsam may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your balsam indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Hamlet. It might get as low as 5°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Hamlet is just an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Hamlet you get a frost after April 15 so always be ready to cover your balsam in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Hamlet

Here is the info for USDA Zone 7b.

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

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

Plants to Grow in Hamlet

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