Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to figure out 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.

One way of estimating when it's a good idea to plant fiber optic grass is to look at the USDA zone info for North Chicago.

Planting Calendar for Fiber Optic Grass

Frost tolerance for fiber optic grass:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost.

It's probably not a good idea to plant fiber optic grass until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they do not do well in cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant fiber optic grass in North Chicago 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 fiber optic grass and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your fiber optic grass may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your fiber optic grass indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on April 15 in North Chicago. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Since the USDA zone info for North Chicago is just an average the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in North Chicago you get a frost after April 15 so just be sure to be ready to protect your fiber optic grass if you have a late frost.

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.