When to Plant Snow-in Summer in Elgin, IL

The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

You can estimate when it's a good idea to plant snow-in summer in Elgin by reviewing the USDA zone info.


Planting Calendar for Snow-in Summer

Frost tolerance for snow-in summer: Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant: Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

Snow-in Summer are moderately cold tolerant which means that you can get them planted earlier than other plants that might not handle the cold.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant snow-in summer
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant snow-in summer
Probably not a good time to plant snow-in summer

The earliest that you can plant snow-in summer in Elgin 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 snow-in summer and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your snow-in summer may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your snow-in summer indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Elgin. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Always keep in mind that the actual date of last frost is just an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Elgin and it will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Elgin you get a frost after April 15 be ready to cover your snow-in summer in the event of a surprise 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.