The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us estimate your gardening 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 determine when it's possible to plant firebush by using the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Firebush

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

It's probably a bad idea to plant firebush until after the last frost because they do not do well in cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant firebush 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 firebush and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your firebush may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your firebush indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost 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 not always accurate and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Ruidoso you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your firebush in the event of one of those late frosts.

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.