One of the first steps you take when you are estimating 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 Chicago Heights can be looked at to estimate when it's the best time to plant polygonums.

Planting Calendar for Polygonums

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

It's probably not a good idea to plant polygonums until after the last frost because they do not do well in cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant polygonums 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 polygonums and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your polygonums may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your polygonums indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Since the USDA zone info for Chicago Heights is not always accurate the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Chicago Heights last frost occurs after April 15 be ready to protect your polygonums in the event of 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.