The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

You should be able to determine when it's a good idea to plant bower vine by reviewing the USDA zone info for Chicago.

Planting Calendar for Bower Vine

Frost tolerance for bower vine:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

Since bower vine require warm weather it's necessary to wait until after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant bower vine 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 bower vine and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your bower vine may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your bower vine indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Chicago is just an average and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Chicago you get a frost after April 15 be ready to cover your bower vine in the event of one of those late frosts.

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.