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.

By using the USDA zone info for Elgin it's a good idea to determine when it's possible to plant pyrethrum.

Planting Calendar for Pyrethrum

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

Pyrethrum are moderately cold tolerant which means that you can plant them earlier than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant pyrethrum 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 pyrethrum and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your pyrethrum may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your pyrethrum indoors.

Last Frost Date

In Elgin the average date of last frost happens on March 15. It might get as low as 15°F during the coldest months of winter.

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Elgin may not be accurate from year to year and 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 protect your pyrethrum if you have a surprise late frost.

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.