Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to determine 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 Hoffman Estates should be used to figure out when it's possible to plant borage.

Planting Calendar for Borage

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

Borage can survive in some cold which means that you can plant them a little earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant borage in Hoffman Estates 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 borage and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your borage may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your borage indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Hoffman Estates. You can expect an average low temperature of -15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Hoffman Estates is not always accurate the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Hoffman Estates you get a frost after April 15 so always be ready to protect your borage if you have one of those late frosts.

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.