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When to Plant Bells of Ireland in Elgin, IL

Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to figure out 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.

It's a good idea to estimate when you can plant bells of ireland by checking out the USDA zone info for Elgin.


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.

Bells of Ireland can survive in mild cold which tells us that you can plant them just a tiny bit earlier in the year than plants that are more sensitive to the cold.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant bells of ireland
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant bells of ireland
Probably not a good time to plant bells of ireland

The earliest that you can plant bells of ireland in Elgin 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. If you wait any later than that and your bells of ireland may not have a chance to fully mature. 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 Elgin the average date of last frost happens on April 15. It might get as low as -15°F during the coldest months of winter.

Always keep in mind that the actual date of last frost may not be accurate from year to year because it is based on the USDA zone info for Elgin and it changes from year to year. Half of the time in Elgin there is a last frost after April 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your bells of ireland if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Elgin

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 Elgin

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Elgin.