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.

A common way of estimating when to plant watercress is to look at the USDA zone info for Glencoe.

Planting Calendar for Watercress

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

Watercress do well in very little cold which means that you can plant them just a tiny bit earlier in the year than other plants that might not handle the cold.

The earliest that you can plant watercress in Glencoe 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 watercress and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your watercress may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your watercress 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 Glencoe. You should expect an average low temperature of -15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Glencoe may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Glencoe you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so just be sure to be ready to cover your watercress if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Glencoe

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 Glencoe

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