One of the first steps you take when you are making a decision about 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.

The USDA zone info for Menomonie should be looked at to figure out when it's possible to plant balsam.

Planting Calendar for Balsam

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

You really shouldn't plant balsam until after all chance of frost has passed because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant balsam in Menomonie is May. However, you really should wait until June 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. If you wait any later than that and your balsam may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your balsam indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is May 15 in Menomonie. You should expect an average low temperature of -25°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Menomonie is not always accurate the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Menomonie there is a last frost after May 15 be ready to protect your balsam in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Menomonie

Here is the info for USDA Zone 4b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	May 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	September 15
Lowest Expected Low	-25°F
Highest Expected Low	-20°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -25°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -20°F.

Plants to Grow in Menomonie

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