When to Plant Basket of Gold in Alton, IL

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.

In Alton you can determine when it's a good idea to plant basket of gold by referring to the USDA zone info.


Planting Calendar for Basket of Gold

Frost tolerance for basket of gold: Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant: Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

Basket of Gold can survive in pretty solid cold which means that you can plant them much earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant basket of gold
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant basket of gold
Probably not a good time to plant basket of gold

The earliest that you can plant basket of gold in Alton 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 basket of gold and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your basket of gold may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your basket of gold indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average all chance of frost has passed is on April 15 in Alton. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -10°F.

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Alton is an average and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Alton you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so always be ready to cover your basket of gold in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Alton

Here is the info for USDA Zone 6a.

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

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

Plants to Grow in Alton

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