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.

In Sherwood you can estimate when it's a good idea to plant runner beans by using the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Runner beans

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

Since runner beans require warm weather you need to wait until after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant runner beans in Sherwood 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 runner beans and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your runner beans may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your runner beans indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on March 15 in Sherwood. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of 15°F.

Just be sure to remember that USDA zone info for Sherwood is an average and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Sherwood it frosts late in the year after March 15 so always be ready to cover your runner beans in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Sherwood

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 Sherwood

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