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 a good idea to estimate when it's possible to plant heuchera by looking at the USDA zone info for West Chicago.

Planting Calendar for Heuchera

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

Since heuchera are moderately cold tolerant you can plant them a bit earlier in the year than plants that are more sensitive to the cold.

The earliest that you can plant heuchera in West Chicago 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 heuchera and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your heuchera may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your heuchera indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

In West 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.

Since the USDA zone info for West Chicago is an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in West Chicago it frosts late in the year after April 15 be ready to cover your heuchera in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for West 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 West Chicago

You may be interested in your other planting guides for West Chicago.