The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

In Belle Fourche you can determine when it's the best time to plant melons by checking out the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Melons

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

Melons do not do well in cold weather which means that you must wait until it warms up after the last frost when the weather gets warmer before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant melons in Belle Fourche is May. However, you really should wait until June if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant melons and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your melons may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your melons indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is May 15 in Belle Fourche. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -25°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Belle Fourche may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Belle Fourche last frost occurs after May 15 be ready to protect your melons in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Belle Fourche

Here is the info for USDA Zone 4b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	May 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	September 15
Lowest Expected Low	-25°F
Highest Expected Low	-20°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -25°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -20°F.

Plants to Grow in Belle Fourche

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Belle Fourche.