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.

In Granite City you can determine when it's a good idea to plant amaranthus by using the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Amaranthus

Frost tolerance for amaranthus:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

Since amaranthus do not do well in cold weather it's important to wait until after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant amaranthus in Granite City 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 amaranthus and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your amaranthus may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your amaranthus indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Granite City. You can expect an average low temperature of -5°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Granite City is an average the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Granite City it frosts late in the year after April 15 so just be sure to be ready to cover your amaranthus in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Granite City

Here is the info for USDA Zone 6b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-5°F
Highest Expected Low	0°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -5°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 0°F.

Plants to Grow in Granite City

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Granite City.