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.

By checking out the USDA zone info for West Chicago it's a good idea to figure out when to plant brussels sprouts.

Planting Calendar for Brussels Sprouts

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

Brussels Sprouts are moderately cold tolerant which means that you can plant them earlier than plants that are more sensitive to the cold.

The earliest that you can plant brussels sprouts in West Chicago 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 brussels sprouts and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your brussels sprouts may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your brussels sprouts indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on April 15 in West Chicago. You can expect an average low temperature of -15°F in the coldest months of winter.

It's important to remember that the actual date of last frost is just an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for West Chicago and it can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in West Chicago you get a frost after April 15 so be sure to be ready to protect your brussels sprouts in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for West Chicago

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 West Chicago

You may be interested in your other planting guides for West Chicago.