One of the first steps you take when you are making a decision about 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.

A common way of determining when it's a good idea to plant lupine is to look at the USDA zone info for Chicago Ridge.

Planting Calendar for Lupine

Frost tolerance for lupine:	Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant:	Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

Lupine do ok in mild cold which means that you can plant them a little earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

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

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

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Chicago Ridge. You can expect an average low temperature of -10°F in the coldest months of winter.

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for Chicago Ridge may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Chicago Ridge it frosts late in the year after April 15 so always be ready to cover your lupine in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Chicago Ridge

Here is the info for USDA Zone 6a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-10°F
Highest Expected Low	-5°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -10°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -5°F.

Plants to Grow in Chicago Ridge

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