One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule is the 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.

You will be able to figure out when it's a good idea to plant balsam by using the USDA zone info for Rawlins.

Planting Calendar for Balsam

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

Since balsam require warm weather you have to wait until after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant balsam in Rawlins 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. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your balsam may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your balsam indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on May 15 in Rawlins. It might get as low as -25°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Rawlins is just an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Rawlins you get surprised by a frost after May 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your balsam in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Rawlins

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 Rawlins

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