One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule is the 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.

A common way of figuring out when it's the best time to plant bidens is to check out the USDA zone info for Ithaca.

Planting Calendar for Bidens

Frost tolerance for bidens:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

It's not a good idea to plant bidens until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they require warm weather.

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

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on April 15 in Ithaca. It might get as low as -10°F during the coldest months of winter.

Remember that USDA zone info for Ithaca is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Ithaca there is a last frost after April 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your bidens in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Ithaca

Here is the info for USDA Zone 6a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-10°F
Highest Expected Low	-5°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 -5°F.

Plants to Grow in Ithaca

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