Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to determine your garden 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 figuring out when it's a good idea to plant balsam is to refer to the USDA zone info for Midlothian.

Planting Calendar for Balsam

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

Balsam do not do well in cold weather which tells us that it's necessary to wait until it warms up after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant balsam in Midlothian 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 little bit earlier by starting your balsam indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on March 15 in Midlothian. It might get as low as 10°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Midlothian may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Midlothian you get surprised by a frost after March 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your balsam if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Midlothian

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	10°F
Highest Expected Low	15°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 10°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 15°F.

Plants to Grow in Midlothian

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