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

The USDA zone info for Des Plaines should be used to estimate when it's a good idea to plant maltese cross.

Planting Calendar for Maltese Cross

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

Maltese Cross do well in moderate cold which tells us that you can get them planted earlier than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant maltese cross 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 maltese cross and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your maltese cross may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your maltese cross indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average all chance of frost has passed is on April 15 in Des Plaines. It might get as low as -15°F during the coldest months of winter.

Remember that USDA zone info for Des Plaines is an average and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Des Plaines you get a frost after April 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your maltese cross in the event of one of those late frosts.

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.