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.

By checking out the USDA zone info for Skokie it's a good idea to figure out when to plant chrysanthemums.

Planting Calendar for Chrysanthemums

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

You can plant chrysanthemums a bit earlier in the year because they do ok in moderate cold.

The earliest that you can plant chrysanthemums in Skokie 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 chrysanthemums and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your chrysanthemums may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your chrysanthemums indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Skokie. It might get as low as -10°F during the coldest months of winter.

Just be sure to remember that USDA zone info for Skokie is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Skokie you get a frost after April 15 be ready to cover your chrysanthemums if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Skokie

Here is the info for USDA Zone 6a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-10°F
Highest Expected Low	-5°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -10°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -5°F.

Plants to Grow in Skokie

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