One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us estimate 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.

The earliest that you can plant helianthemum in Ruidoso should be determined by looking at the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Helianthemum

Frost tolerance for helianthemum:	Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant:	Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

You can plant helianthemum a little bit earlier in the year because they are moderately cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant helianthemum in Ruidoso is February. However, you really should wait until March if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant helianthemum and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your helianthemum may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your helianthemum indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on April 15 in Ruidoso. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -5°F.

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Ruidoso is just an average and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Ruidoso there is a last frost after April 15 be ready to cover your helianthemum if you have a 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.