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

The USDA zone info for Champaign should be read to figure out when it's the best time to plant indian cress.

Planting Calendar for Indian cress

Frost tolerance for indian cress:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

Indian cress are not cold tolerant which means that you really should wait until it warms up after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant indian cress in Champaign is April. However, you really should wait until May if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant indian cress and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your indian cress may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your indian cress indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

Always keep in mind that the actual date of last frost is an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Champaign and it can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Champaign last frost occurs after April 15 so be sure to be ready to protect your indian cress if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Champaign

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 Champaign

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