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.

A way of figuring out when you can plant balsam is to use the USDA zone info for Nebraska City.

Planting Calendar for Balsam

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

Since balsam require warm weather it's important to wait until after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant balsam in Nebraska City 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. If you wait any later than that and your balsam may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your balsam indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on April 15 in Nebraska City. It might get as low as -15°F during the coldest months of winter.

Remember that USDA zone info for Nebraska City is just an average and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Nebraska City there is a last frost after April 15 so just be sure to be ready to cover your balsam if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Nebraska City

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5b.

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

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -15°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -10°F.

Plants to Grow in Nebraska City

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Nebraska City.