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

One way of making a decision about when it's possible to plant green beans is to consult the USDA zone info for Salem.

Planting Calendar for Green beans

Frost tolerance for green beans:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

It's not a good idea to plant green beans until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant green beans in Salem 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 green beans and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your green beans may not have a chance to fully mature. If you are starting your green beans 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 March 15 in Salem. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 15°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Salem is an average the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Salem you get surprised by a frost after March 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your green beans in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Salem

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	15°F
Highest Expected Low	20°F

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

Plants to Grow in Salem

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