Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to estimate your garden schedule. 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 Crystal Lake should be reviewed to estimate when to plant broccoli.

Planting Calendar for Broccoli

Frost tolerance for broccoli:	Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant:	Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

You can plant broccoli a little bit earlier in the year because they are moderately cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant broccoli in Crystal Lake is February. However, you really should wait until March if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant broccoli and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your broccoli may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your broccoli indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on April 15 in Crystal Lake. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for Crystal Lake is just an average and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Crystal Lake you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your broccoli in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Crystal Lake

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-15°F
Highest Expected Low	-10°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -15°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -10°F.

Plants to Grow in Crystal Lake

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Crystal Lake.