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.

It's possible to determine when it's the best time to plant oregano by referring to the USDA zone info for Elgin.

Planting Calendar for Oregano

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

You can plant oregano just a bit earlier in the year because they are one of those plants that can tolerate a little bit of cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant oregano in Elgin 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 oregano and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your oregano may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your oregano indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Since the USDA zone info for Elgin is not always accurate the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Elgin you get a frost after March 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your oregano if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Elgin

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	15°F
Highest Expected Low	20°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 20°F.

Plants to Grow in Elgin

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