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.

The USDA zone info for East Chicago can be looked at to estimate when you can plant statice.

Planting Calendar for Statice

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

Since statice do well in moderate cold you can plant them a little bit earlier in the year than plants that are more sensitive to the cold.

The earliest that you can plant statice in East 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 statice and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your statice may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your statice indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In East Chicago the average date of last frost happens on April 15. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

It's important to remember that the actual date of last frost may not be accurate from year to year because it is based on the USDA zone info for East Chicago and it can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in East Chicago you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your statice in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for East 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 East Chicago

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