One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out 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.

A way of getting a good idea when it's a good idea to plant bishop's weed is to look at the USDA zone info for Rockford.

Planting Calendar for Bishop's Weed

Frost tolerance for bishop's weed:	Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

Bishop's Weed are very cold tolerant which tells us that you can plant them much earlier than other plants that might not handle the cold.

The earliest that you can plant bishop's weed in Rockford 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 bishop's weed and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your bishop's weed may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your bishop's weed indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on April 15 in Rockford. You can expect an average low temperature of -15°F in the coldest months of winter.

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Rockford is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Rockford there is a last frost after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your bishop's weed in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Rockford

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 Rockford

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