One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

A way of figuring out when it's a good idea to plant dahlias is to use the USDA zone info for Glendale Heights.

Planting Calendar for Dahlias

Frost tolerance for dahlias:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost.

Since dahlias require warm weather you have to wait until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant dahlias in Glendale Heights 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 dahlias and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your dahlias may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your dahlias indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Since the USDA zone info for Glendale Heights is an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Glendale Heights you get a frost after April 15 so just be sure to be ready to protect your dahlias in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Glendale Heights

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 Glendale Heights

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Glendale Heights.