The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

A way of making a decision about when it's possible to plant balsam is to look at the USDA zone info for Saratoga Springs.

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 require warm weather you really should wait until after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant balsam in Saratoga Springs 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 fully mature. If you are starting your balsam indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Saratoga Springs. It might get as low as -5°F during the coldest months of winter.

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Saratoga Springs may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Saratoga Springs there is a last frost after April 15 be ready to cover your balsam if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Saratoga Springs

Here is the info for USDA Zone 6b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-5°F
Highest Expected Low	0°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 0°F.

Plants to Grow in Saratoga Springs

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Saratoga Springs.