One of the first steps you take when you are making a decision about 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 getting a good idea when it's possible to plant jerusalem artichokes is to look at the USDA zone info for Kankakee.

Planting Calendar for Jerusalem artichokes

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

You can plant jerusalem artichokes a little earlier in the year because they do well in moderate cold.

The earliest that you can plant jerusalem artichokes in Kankakee 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 jerusalem artichokes and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your jerusalem artichokes may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your jerusalem artichokes indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Kankakee. You should expect an average low temperature of -15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Just be sure to remember that USDA zone info for Kankakee is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Kankakee it frosts late in the year after April 15 so always be ready to cover your jerusalem artichokes in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Kankakee

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 Kankakee

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