When to Plant Candytuft in Wilmette, IL

Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to determine your garden schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

The first opportunity to plant candytuft in Wilmette can be figured out by referring to the USDA zone info.


Planting Calendar for Candytuft

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

Since candytuft do well in moderate cold you can plant them a little bit earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant candytuft
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant candytuft
Probably not a good time to plant candytuft

The earliest that you can plant candytuft in Wilmette 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 candytuft and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your candytuft may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your candytuft indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Wilmette. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Wilmette is an average and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Wilmette you get a frost after April 15 be ready to protect your candytuft if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Wilmette

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 Wilmette

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