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.

A way of estimating when it's possible to plant banana is to refer to the USDA zone info for Hoffman Estates.

Planting Calendar for Banana

Frost tolerance for banana:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

Banana are not cold tolerant which means that it is important to wait until it warms up after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant banana in Hoffman Estates 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 banana and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your banana may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your banana indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on April 15 in Hoffman Estates. It might get as low as -15°F during the coldest months of winter.

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for Hoffman Estates may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Hoffman Estates it frosts late in the year after April 15 be ready to protect your banana if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Hoffman Estates

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 Hoffman Estates

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Hoffman Estates.