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.

The first opportunity to plant aubrieta in North Chicago can be estimated by reviewing the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Aubrieta

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

You can plant aubrieta a bit earlier in the year because they are one of those plants that can tolerate a little bit of cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant aubrieta in North Chicago 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 aubrieta and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your aubrieta may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your aubrieta indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on April 15 in North Chicago. You can expect an average low temperature of -15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Remember that the actual date of last frost is an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for North Chicago and it will vary from year to year. Half of the time in North Chicago last frost occurs after April 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your aubrieta in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for North Chicago

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 North Chicago

You may be interested in your other planting guides for North Chicago.