One of the first steps you take when you are estimating your gardening schedule is find your 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 USDA zone info for Dunkirk can be read to estimate when it's the best time to plant pansies.

Planting Calendar for Pansies

Frost tolerance for pansies:	Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

Since pansies do well in cold you can plant them earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant pansies in Dunkirk 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 pansies and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your pansies may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your pansies indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Dunkirk. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -5°F.

Just be sure to remember that USDA zone info for Dunkirk is an average and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Dunkirk it frosts late in the year after April 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your pansies in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Dunkirk

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 Dunkirk

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