One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

By looking at the USDA zone info for Alton it's possible to estimate when you can plant endive.

Planting Calendar for Endive

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

You can plant endive just a bit earlier in the year because they are moderately cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant endive 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 endive and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your endive may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your endive indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Alton. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -10°F.

Remember that USDA zone info for Alton is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Alton last frost occurs after April 15 so always be ready to cover your endive if you have a 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.