When to Plant Brussels Sprouts in Harvard, IL

One of the first steps you take when you are determining 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.

The USDA zone info for Harvard can be looked at to estimate when to plant brussels sprouts.


Planting Calendar for Brussels Sprouts

Frost tolerance for brussels sprouts: Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant: Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

Brussels Sprouts do well in some cold which tells us that you can plant them a little earlier in the year than other plants that might not handle the cold.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant brussels sprouts
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant brussels sprouts
Probably not a good time to plant brussels sprouts

The earliest that you can plant brussels sprouts in Harvard 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 brussels sprouts and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your brussels sprouts may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your brussels sprouts indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on April 15 in Harvard. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Just be sure to remember that USDA zone info for Harvard may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Harvard you get a frost after April 15 be ready to cover your brussels sprouts in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Harvard

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 Harvard

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