Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to figure out 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.

In Rockford you can estimate when it's the best time to plant peanut by looking at the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Peanut

Frost tolerance for peanut:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

You should not plant peanut until after all chance of frost has passed because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant peanut in Rockford 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 peanut and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your peanut may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your peanut indoors.

Last Frost Date

In Rockford the average date of last frost happens on April 15. You can expect an average low temperature of -15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Remember that USDA zone info for Rockford is just an average and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Rockford it frosts late in the year after April 15 be ready to cover your peanut in the event of a surprise 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.