One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us figure out 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.

The first chance to plant cucumbers in Crystal Lake should be determined by checking out the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Cucumbers

Frost tolerance for cucumbers:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

Since cucumbers are not cold tolerant it is necessary to wait until after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant cucumbers in Crystal Lake 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 cucumbers and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your cucumbers may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your cucumbers indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Crystal Lake. You should expect an average low temperature of -15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Crystal Lake is just an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Crystal Lake you get a frost after April 15 be ready to protect your cucumbers in the event of one of those late frosts.

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.