One of the first steps you take when you are estimating 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 Willow Springs you can estimate when it's a good idea to plant gherkins by checking out the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Gherkins

Frost tolerance for gherkins:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost has passed.

You really shouldn't plant gherkins until after the last frost because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant gherkins in Willow Springs is April. However, you really should wait until May if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant gherkins and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your gherkins may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your gherkins indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Willow Springs is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Willow Springs you get a frost after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your gherkins if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Willow Springs

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 Willow Springs

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Willow Springs.