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.

You should be able to estimate when it's the best time to plant dahlia by reviewing the USDA zone info for Mokena.

Planting Calendar for Dahlia

Frost tolerance for dahlia:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

Since dahlia are not cold tolerant it's important to wait until after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant dahlia in Mokena 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 dahlia and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your dahlia may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your dahlia indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Remember that USDA zone info for Mokena may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Mokena you get a frost after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to protect your dahlia in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Mokena

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 Mokena

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