One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule is the 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.

You can estimate when to plant polka dot plant in Chicago by reviewing the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Polka Dot Plant

Frost tolerance for polka dot plant:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost.

It's a bad idea to plant polka dot plant until after the last frost because they require warm weather.

The earliest that you can plant polka dot plant 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 polka dot plant and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your polka dot plant may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your polka dot plant indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

Since the USDA zone info for Chicago may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Chicago it frosts late in the year after April 15 be ready to protect your polka dot plant if you have 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.