One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea your gardening schedule is find your 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.

By looking at the USDA zone info for Des Plaines you will be able to figure out when you can plant sorrel.

Planting Calendar for Sorrel

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

You can plant sorrel just a bit earlier in the year because they are one of those plants that can tolerate a little bit of cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant sorrel 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 sorrel and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your sorrel may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your sorrel indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on April 15 in Des Plaines. You can expect an average low temperature of -15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Des Plaines is just an average and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Des Plaines last frost occurs after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to protect your sorrel 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.