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.

One way of making a decision about when to plant calendula is to refer to the USDA zone info for Highland Park.

Planting Calendar for Calendula

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

Calendula do well in moderate cold which means that you can start planting them earlier than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant calendula in Highland Park 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 calendula and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your calendula may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your calendula 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 Highland Park. You should expect an average low temperature of -15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Highland Park is not always accurate the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Highland Park last frost occurs after April 15 be ready to protect your calendula in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Highland Park

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 Highland Park

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Highland Park.