When to plant in Carthage, IL
Planting dates worked out from Carthage's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 29
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 15
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 16
1 year in 10 by Oct 3
Frost-free days
181
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Bentley · 8.3 km away · station 198 m, town 204 m. How we match towns to stations
This season
Plan your garden.
Planting dates for common crops
| Crop | Start indoors | Plant out or sow | Harvest from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Mar 4 – Mar 18 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 23 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 18 – Mar 4 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 28 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 13 – Feb 20 | Mar 20 – Apr 3 | Apr 29 |
| Peas | — | Mar 20 – Apr 17 | May 14 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 22 – May 13 | Jun 11 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 29 – May 10 | May 28 |
| Beet | — | Mar 29 – May 10 | May 18 |
| Potato | — | Mar 29 – Apr 19 | Jun 7 |
| Kale | Feb 13 – Feb 27 | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | May 9 |
| Broccoli | Feb 6 – Feb 20 | Mar 20 – Apr 10 | May 19 |
| Cucumber | Apr 1 – Apr 8 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 18 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 1 – Apr 8 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 13 |
| Winter squash | Apr 1 – Apr 8 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jul 18 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 22 – May 13 | Jun 21 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 20 – Apr 10 | Jun 18 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 2 – Oct 30 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 20 – Apr 17 | Apr 27 |
| Basil | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 25 |
Carthage's weather over time
How the growing season has shifted here, year by year, from the station's own records.
Each year's last spring frostLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Last spring frost |
|---|---|
| 1995 | Apr 6 |
| 1996 | Apr 30 |
| 1997 | Apr 17 |
| 1998 | Apr 17 |
| 1999 | Apr 17 |
| 2000 | Apr 12 |
| 2001 | Apr 18 |
| 2002 | Apr 6 |
| 2003 | Apr 10 |
| 2004 | Apr 14 |
| 2005 | May 4 |
| 2006 | Apr 9 |
| 2007 | Apr 15 |
| 2008 | Apr 30 |
| 2009 | Apr 13 |
| 2010 | Mar 27 |
| 2012 | Apr 12 |
| 2013 | Apr 20 |
| 2014 | Apr 16 |
| 2015 | Apr 5 |
| 2016 | Apr 13 |
| 2017 | Mar 23 |
| 2018 | Apr 17 |
| 2019 | Apr 28 |
| 2020 | Apr 19 |
| 2021 | Apr 23 |
| 2022 | Apr 27 |
| 2023 | Apr 24 |
| 2024 | Apr 6 |
| 2025 | Apr 9 |
| 2026 | Mar 29 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 168 |
| 1996 | 163 |
| 1997 | 179 |
| 1998 | 187 |
| 1999 | 183 |
| 2000 | 177 |
| 2001 | 170 |
| 2002 | 183 |
| 2003 | 174 |
| 2004 | 170 |
| 2005 | 174 |
| 2006 | 185 |
| 2009 | 179 |
| 2010 | 215 |
| 2012 | 176 |
| 2013 | 186 |
| 2014 | 198 |
| 2015 | 195 |
| 2016 | 212 |
| 2017 | 219 |
| 2018 | 181 |
| 2019 | 166 |
| 2020 | 190 |
| 2021 | 192 |
| 2022 | 173 |
| 2023 | 188 |
| 2024 | 193 |
| 2025 | 206 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 18.7 °C |
| 1996 | 18.3 °C |
| 1997 | 18.1 °C |
| 1998 | 20.2 °C |
| 1999 | 19.4 °C |
| 2000 | 20.1 °C |
| 2001 | 20.2 °C |
| 2002 | 20.1 °C |
| 2003 | 19.1 °C |
| 2004 | 19.4 °C |
| 2005 | 21.2 °C |
| 2006 | 20.7 °C |
| 2008 | 19.1 °C |
| 2009 | 18.8 °C |
| 2010 | 21.5 °C |
| 2011 | 19.8 °C |
| 2012 | 20.7 °C |
| 2013 | 19.6 °C |
| 2014 | 19.3 °C |
| 2015 | 20.2 °C |
| 2016 | 20.7 °C |
| 2017 | 20.1 °C |
| 2018 | 20.8 °C |
| 2019 | 20.3 °C |
| 2020 | 19.6 °C |
| 2021 | 20.1 °C |
| 2022 | 19.8 °C |
| 2023 | 20.2 °C |
| 2024 | 20.5 °C |
| 2025 | 20.2 °C |
| 2026 | 21.0 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1995, Carthage's last spring frost has come about 1 day earlier per decade, on average. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Bentley (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.