One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out 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.

In Chicago Heights you can estimate when it's a good idea to plant purslane by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Purslane

Frost tolerance for purslane:	Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

Since purslane are barely cold tolerant you can plant them a bit earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant purslane in Chicago Heights is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant purslane and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your purslane may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your purslane indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Chicago Heights. You should expect an average low temperature of -15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Chicago Heights may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Chicago Heights last frost occurs after April 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your purslane if you have a surprise 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.