One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out your gardening schedule is find your 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.

By referring to the USDA zone info for Madison it's possible to estimate when you can plant violets.

Planting Calendar for Violets

Frost tolerance for violets:	Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant:	Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

Violets tend to make it in mild cold which means that you can plant them a little earlier in the year than plants that are more sensitive to the cold.

The earliest that you can plant violets in Madison is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant violets and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your violets may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your violets indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on May 15 in Madison. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -25°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Madison is not always accurate the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Madison you get a frost after May 15 be ready to protect your violets in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Madison

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 Madison

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