One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us determine your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

A common way of estimating when to plant bells of ireland is to refer to the USDA zone info for Downers Grove.

Planting Calendar for Bells of Ireland

Frost tolerance for bells of ireland:	Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

Since bells of ireland are one of those plants that can tolerate a tiny bit of cold weather you can plant them just a tiny bit earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant bells of ireland in Downers Grove is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant bells of ireland and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your bells of ireland may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your bells of ireland indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Downers Grove the average date of last frost happens on April 15. You should expect an average low temperature of -15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for Downers Grove may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Downers Grove there is a last frost after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your bells of ireland if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Downers Grove

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 Downers Grove

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Downers Grove.