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

A common way of getting a good idea when to plant balsam is to look at the USDA zone info for Zone 1b.

Planting Calendar for Balsam

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

Since balsam are not cold tolerant you need to wait until after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant balsam in Zone 1b is June. However, you really should wait until July if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant balsam and expect a good harvest is probably July. Any later than that and your balsam may not have a chance to really do well. 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

On average all chance of frost has passed is on June 15 in Zone 1b. You should expect an average low temperature of -55°F in the coldest months of winter.

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for Zone 1b is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Zone 1b you get a frost after June 15 be ready to cover your balsam in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Zone 1b

Here is the info for USDA Zone 1b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	June 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	July 15
Lowest Expected Low	-55°F
Highest Expected Low	-50°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -55°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -50°F.

Plants to Grow in Zone 1b

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Zone 1b.