One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule is the 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.

It's possible to figure out when you can plant snapdragons by reviewing the USDA zone info for Rockford.

Planting Calendar for Snapdragons

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

Snapdragons do well in moderate cold which means that you can get them planted earlier than other plants that might not handle the cold.

The earliest that you can plant snapdragons in Rockford 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 snapdragons and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your snapdragons may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your snapdragons indoors.

Last Frost Date

In Rockford the average date of last frost happens on April 15. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Rockford is just an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Rockford there is a last frost after April 15 be ready to protect your snapdragons in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Rockford

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 Rockford

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