When to Plant Bishop's Weed in Lake Forest, IL

Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to determine your garden schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

By reviewing the USDA zone info for Lake Forest you should be able to determine when you can plant bishop's weed.


Planting Calendar for Bishop's Weed

Frost tolerance for bishop's weed: Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant: Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

You can plant bishop's weed a lot earlier in the year because they are very cold tolerant.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant bishop's weed
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant bishop's weed
Probably not a good time to plant bishop's weed

The earliest that you can plant bishop's weed in Lake Forest 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 bishop's weed and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your bishop's weed may not have a chance to fully mature. If you are starting your bishop's weed indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Lake Forest the average date of last frost happens on April 15. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Lake Forest is an average and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Lake Forest you get a frost after April 15 be ready to cover your bishop's weed in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Lake Forest

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 Lake Forest

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Lake Forest.