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.

In Ballston Spa you can estimate when it's a good idea to plant hollyhocks by using the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Hollyhocks

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

Hollyhocks are moderately cold tolerant which means that you can get them planted earlier than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant hollyhocks in Ballston Spa 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 hollyhocks and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your hollyhocks may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your hollyhocks indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on April 15 in Ballston Spa. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -20°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Ballston Spa is an average the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Ballston Spa you get surprised by a frost after April 15 be ready to protect your hollyhocks in the event of 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.