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 determining when to plant balsam is to refer to the USDA zone info for Laconia.

Planting Calendar for Balsam

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

Since balsam are not cold tolerant it's necessary to wait until after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant balsam in Laconia 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 fully mature. If you are starting your balsam indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on April 15 in Laconia. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Laconia is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Laconia there is a last frost after April 15 be ready to cover your balsam in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Laconia

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 Laconia

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