When to Plant New Zealand spinach in Alton, IL

Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to estimate your garden schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

By checking out the USDA zone info for Alton you will be able to determine when it's a good idea to plant new zealand spinach.


Planting Calendar for New Zealand spinach

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

New Zealand spinach do ok in some cold which tells us that you can plant them a little bit earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant new zealand spinach
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant new zealand spinach
Probably not a good time to plant new zealand spinach

The earliest that you can plant new zealand spinach 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 new zealand spinach and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your new zealand spinach may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your new zealand spinach indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Alton may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Alton it frosts late in the year after April 15 be ready to protect your new zealand spinach 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.