Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to estimate 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.

In Ruidoso you can estimate when it's the best time to plant copperleaf by reviewing the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Copperleaf

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

Since copperleaf require warm weather you must wait until after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant copperleaf in Ruidoso 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 copperleaf and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your copperleaf may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your copperleaf 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 has passed is on April 15 in Ruidoso. It might get as low as -5°F during the coldest months of winter.

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Ruidoso is just an average and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Ruidoso last frost occurs after April 15 so just be sure to be ready to cover your copperleaf if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Ruidoso

Here is the info for USDA Zone 6b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-5°F
Highest Expected Low	0°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 0°F.

Plants to Grow in Ruidoso

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