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

A common way of determining when you can plant california poppy is to look at the USDA zone info for Ballston Spa.

Planting Calendar for California Poppy

Frost tolerance for california poppy:	Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

Since california poppy are barely cold tolerant you can plant them just a tiny bit earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant california poppy in Ballston Spa is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant california poppy and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your california poppy may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your california poppy indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Ballston Spa. You can expect an average low temperature of -20°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Ballston Spa is an average the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Ballston Spa you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your california poppy if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Ballston Spa

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-20°F
Highest Expected Low	-15°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -20°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -15°F.

Plants to Grow in Ballston Spa

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Ballston Spa.