The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us estimate 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 estimating when to plant melampodium is to check out the USDA zone info for Battle Ground.

Planting Calendar for Melampodium

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

Since melampodium require warm weather it is important to wait until after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

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

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on March 15 in Battle Ground. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of 15°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Battle Ground is not always accurate the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Battle Ground you get surprised by a frost after March 15 so always be ready to cover your melampodium in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Battle Ground

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 Battle Ground

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Battle Ground.