When to Plant Oxalis in Chicago, IL

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.

A way of determining when you can plant oxalis is to check out the USDA zone info for Chicago.


Planting Calendar for Oxalis

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

You really shouldn't plant oxalis until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they do not do well in cold weather.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant oxalis
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant oxalis
Probably not a good time to plant oxalis

The earliest that you can plant oxalis 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 oxalis and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your oxalis may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your oxalis indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

It's important to remember that the actual date of last frost is not always accurate because it is based on the USDA zone info for Chicago and it can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Chicago there is a last frost after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to protect your oxalis if you have 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.