The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us figure out 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.

One way of determining when it's a good idea to plant balsam is to refer to the USDA zone info for College Station.

Planting Calendar for Balsam

Frost tolerance for balsam:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

Since balsam are not cold tolerant you really should wait until after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant balsam in College Station 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 balsam and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your balsam may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your balsam indoors.

Last Frost Date

In College Station the average date of last frost happens on March 15. You can expect an average low temperature of 15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Remember that USDA zone info for College Station is just an average and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in College Station you get a frost after March 15 so just be sure to be ready to protect your balsam in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for College Station

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 College Station

You may be interested in your other planting guides for College Station.