The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

The first opportunity to plant lotus vine in North Chicago can be estimated by looking at the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Lotus Vine

Frost tolerance for lotus vine:	Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

Since lotus vine do ok in moderate cold you can plant them a bit earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant lotus vine in North Chicago is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant lotus vine and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your lotus vine may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your lotus vine indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In North Chicago the average date of last frost happens on April 15. It might get as low as -15°F during the coldest months of winter.

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for North Chicago is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in North Chicago last frost occurs after April 15 so make sure that you are ready to protect your lotus vine in the event of 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.