The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

A way of making a decision about when it's a good idea to plant scarlet pimpernels is to check out the USDA zone info for Cicero.

Planting Calendar for Scarlet Pimpernels

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

You can plant scarlet pimpernels slightly earlier in the year because they are barely cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant scarlet pimpernels in Cicero 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 scarlet pimpernels and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your scarlet pimpernels may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your scarlet pimpernels indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Cicero is an average and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Cicero it frosts late in the year after April 15 be ready to cover your scarlet pimpernels if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Cicero

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 Cicero

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