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.

A way of making a decision about when it's the best time to plant begonias is to check out the USDA zone info for Truth or Consequences.

Planting Calendar for Begonias

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

It's probably a bad idea to plant begonias until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant begonias in Truth or Consequences 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 begonias and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your begonias may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your begonias indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in Truth or Consequences. It might get as low as 10°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Truth or Consequences may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Truth or Consequences you get a frost after March 15 be ready to cover your begonias in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Truth or Consequences

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	10°F
Highest Expected Low	15°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 10°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 15°F.

Plants to Grow in Truth or Consequences

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Truth or Consequences.