One of the first steps you take when you are estimating 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.

In Hillsborough you can estimate when it's possible to plant bells of ireland by looking at the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Bells of Ireland

Frost tolerance for bells of ireland:	Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

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

The earliest that you can plant bells of ireland in Hillsborough is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

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

Last Frost Date

In Hillsborough the average date of last frost happens on April 15. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 5°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Hillsborough may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Hillsborough it frosts late in the year after April 15 so make sure that you are ready to protect your bells of ireland in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Hillsborough

Here is the info for USDA Zone 7b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	5°F
Highest Expected Low	10°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 5°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 10°F.

Plants to Grow in Hillsborough

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Hillsborough.