One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us figure out 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.

In Willard you can figure out when it's the best time to plant cantaloupes by using the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Cantaloupes

Frost tolerance for cantaloupes:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost.

Since cantaloupes do not do well in cold weather it is necessary to wait until after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

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

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on April 15 in Willard. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -10°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Willard is just an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Willard you get a frost after April 15 so always be ready to protect your cantaloupes if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Willard

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 Willard

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