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

A common way of determining when it's a good idea to plant achimenes is to consult the USDA zone info for Chicago Heights.

Planting Calendar for Achimenes

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

You really shouldn't plant achimenes until after the last frost because they require warm weather.

The earliest that you can plant achimenes in Chicago Heights 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 achimenes and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your achimenes may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your achimenes indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on April 15 in Chicago Heights. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Chicago Heights is an average and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Chicago Heights you get a frost after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to protect your achimenes if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Chicago Heights

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 Chicago Heights

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Chicago Heights.