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

The best time to plant turnips in Chicago can be estimated by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Turnips

Frost tolerance for turnips:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost has passed.

Since turnips do not do well in cold weather it's important to wait until after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant turnips 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 turnips and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your turnips may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your turnips 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. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -10°F.

Remember that USDA zone info for Chicago is an average and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Chicago you get surprised by a frost after April 15 be ready to protect your turnips 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.