When to Plant Candytuft in Des Plaines, IL

The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

The first chance to plant candytuft in Des Plaines should be determined by looking at the USDA zone info.


Planting Calendar for Candytuft

Frost tolerance for candytuft: Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant: Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

You can plant candytuft a bit earlier in the year because they do well in moderate cold.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant candytuft
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant candytuft
Probably not a good time to plant candytuft

The earliest that you can plant candytuft in Des Plaines is February. However, you really should wait until March if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant candytuft and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your candytuft may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your candytuft indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on April 15 in Des Plaines. You should expect an average low temperature of -15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Just be sure to remember that the actual date of last frost is an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Des Plaines and it can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Des Plaines you get a frost after April 15 be ready to cover your candytuft if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Des Plaines

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)October 15
Lowest Expected Low-15°F
Highest Expected Low-10°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -15°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -10°F.

Plants to Grow in Des Plaines

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Des Plaines.