One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out 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.

In Steger you can estimate when you can plant aubretia by reviewing the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Aubretia

Frost tolerance for aubretia:	Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

Since aubretia are very cold tolerant you can plant them a lot earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant aubretia in Steger 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 aubretia and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your aubretia may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your aubretia indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on April 15 in Steger. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Steger is not always accurate the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Steger there is a last frost after April 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your aubretia if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Steger

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 Steger

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