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.

The USDA zone info for Chicago can be read to figure out when to plant abutilon.

Planting Calendar for Abutilon

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

Since abutilon are not cold tolerant you must wait until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant abutilon in Chicago 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 abutilon and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your abutilon may not have a chance to fully mature. If you are starting your abutilon indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

Keep in mind that the actual date of last frost is an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Chicago and it changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Chicago you get a frost after April 15 be ready to protect your abutilon in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Chicago

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

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