One of the first steps you take when you are determining 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 first chance to plant lobelia in Rice Lake can be determined by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Lobelia

Frost tolerance for lobelia:	Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

Since lobelia are very cold tolerant you can plant them quite a bit earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant lobelia in Rice Lake is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant lobelia and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your lobelia may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your lobelia indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is May 15 in Rice Lake. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -30°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Rice Lake is just an average the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Rice Lake there is a last frost after May 15 so just be sure to be ready to protect your lobelia in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Rice Lake

Here is the info for USDA Zone 4a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	May 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	September 15
Lowest Expected Low	-30°F
Highest Expected Low	-25°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -30°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -25°F.

Plants to Grow in Rice Lake

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Rice Lake.