One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

The USDA zone info for Alfred should be looked at to estimate when it's a good idea to plant lithospermum.

Planting Calendar for Lithospermum

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

Since lithospermum are not cold tolerant you have to wait until after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant lithospermum in Alfred 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 lithospermum and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your lithospermum may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your lithospermum indoors.

Last Frost Date

In Alfred the average date of last frost happens on April 15. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Just be sure to remember that USDA zone info for Alfred is an average and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Alfred you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your lithospermum if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Alfred

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-15°F
Highest Expected Low	-10°F

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

Plants to Grow in Alfred

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