Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to estimate 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.

By reviewing the USDA zone info for Wisconsin Rapids it's a good idea to estimate when it's a good idea to plant cosmos.

Planting Calendar for Cosmos

Frost tolerance for cosmos:	Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

Cosmos do ok in very little cold which means that you can plant them slightly earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant cosmos in Wisconsin Rapids 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 cosmos and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your cosmos may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your cosmos indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on May 15 in Wisconsin Rapids. You can expect an average low temperature of -25°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Wisconsin Rapids is not always accurate the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Wisconsin Rapids last frost occurs after May 15 be ready to cover your cosmos if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Wisconsin Rapids

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 Wisconsin Rapids

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Wisconsin Rapids.