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.

The USDA zone info for Des Plaines can be looked at to estimate when it's a good idea to plant nolana.

Planting Calendar for Nolana

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

It's a bad idea to plant nolana until after all chance of frost has passed because they require warm weather.

The earliest that you can plant nolana in Des Plaines 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 nolana and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your nolana may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your nolana indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Des Plaines. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Keep in mind that the actual date of last frost is an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Des Plaines and it is different every year. Since half of the time in Des Plaines it frosts late in the year after April 15 be ready to cover your nolana if you have 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.