One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea 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.

By referring to the USDA zone info for Manteno you will be able to determine when it's a good idea to plant crossandra.

Planting Calendar for Crossandra

Frost tolerance for crossandra:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost has passed.

Since crossandra do not do well in cold weather you really should wait until after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant crossandra in Manteno 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 crossandra and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your crossandra may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your crossandra indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

Since the USDA zone info for Manteno may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Manteno there is a last frost after April 15 so just be sure to be ready to protect your crossandra if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Manteno

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 Manteno

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