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

By using the USDA zone info for Champaign you should be able to figure out when it's a good idea to plant scarlet runner beans.

Planting Calendar for Scarlet Runner Beans

Frost tolerance for scarlet runner beans:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost has passed.

You really shouldn't plant scarlet runner beans until after the last frost because they do not do well in cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant scarlet runner beans 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 scarlet runner beans and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your scarlet runner beans may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your scarlet runner beans indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for Champaign may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Champaign last frost occurs after April 15 so always be ready to protect your scarlet runner beans 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.