One of the first steps you take when you are determining 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.

A way of estimating when you can plant gherkins is to examine the USDA zone info for Brownfield.

Planting Calendar for Gherkins

Frost tolerance for gherkins:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost has passed.

Since gherkins are not cold tolerant you need to wait until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant gherkins in Brownfield 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 gherkins and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your gherkins may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your gherkins indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Brownfield. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of 5°F.

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for Brownfield may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Brownfield you get a frost after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your gherkins in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Brownfield

Here is the info for USDA Zone 7b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	5°F
Highest Expected Low	10°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 5°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 10°F.

Plants to Grow in Brownfield

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