Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to determine your garden schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

One way of determining when it's a good idea to plant cantaloupes is to refer to the USDA zone info for Ridgefield Park.

Planting Calendar for Cantaloupes

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

Cantaloupes are not cold tolerant which means that it's important to wait until it warms up after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant cantaloupes in Ridgefield Park 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. Any later than that and your cantaloupes may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your cantaloupes indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Since the USDA zone info for Ridgefield Park may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Ridgefield Park there is a last frost after April 15 so just be sure to be ready to cover your cantaloupes if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Ridgefield Park

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 Ridgefield Park

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Ridgefield Park.