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.

By looking at the USDA zone info for Des Plaines you should be able to figure out when it's a good idea to plant amaranthus.

Planting Calendar for Amaranthus

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

It's a bad idea to plant amaranthus until after the last frost because they do not do well in cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant amaranthus in Des Plaines 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 amaranthus and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your amaranthus may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your amaranthus indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average all chance of frost has passed is on April 15 in Des Plaines. You should expect an average low temperature of -15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Des Plaines is just an average and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Des Plaines there is a last frost after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to protect your amaranthus if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Des Plaines

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 Des Plaines

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Des Plaines.