When to plant in Elburn, IL
Planting dates worked out from Elburn's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 13
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 1
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 9
1 year in 10 by Sep 30
Frost-free days
163
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Chicago Aurora Muni Ap · 13.5 km away · station 214 m, town 260 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 18 – Apr 1 | May 13 – May 27 | Jul 7 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 4 – Mar 18 | May 13 – May 27 | Jul 12 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 27 – Mar 6 | Apr 3 – Apr 17 | May 13 |
| Peas | — | Mar 29 – Apr 26 | May 23 |
| Bush beans | — | May 6 – May 27 | Jun 25 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 10 – May 22 | Jun 9 |
| Beet | — | Apr 8 – May 20 | May 28 |
| Potato | — | Apr 10 – May 1 | Jun 19 |
| Kale | Feb 22 – Mar 8 | Apr 5 – Apr 19 | May 18 |
| Broccoli | Feb 20 – Mar 6 | Apr 3 – Apr 24 | Jun 2 |
| Cucumber | Apr 15 – Apr 22 | May 13 – May 27 | Jul 2 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 15 – Apr 22 | May 13 – May 27 | Jun 27 |
| Winter squash | Apr 15 – Apr 22 | May 13 – May 27 | Aug 1 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 6 – May 27 | Jul 5 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 3 – Apr 24 | Jul 2 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 25 – Oct 23 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 29 – Apr 26 | May 6 |
| Basil | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | May 13 – May 27 | Jul 9 |
Elburn'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 |
|---|---|
| 1999 | Apr 25 |
| 2000 | Apr 25 |
| 2001 | Apr 18 |
| 2002 | May 21 |
| 2003 | May 3 |
| 2004 | May 3 |
| 2005 | May 5 |
| 2006 | Apr 26 |
| 2007 | Apr 20 |
| 2008 | May 4 |
| 2009 | Apr 22 |
| 2010 | May 9 |
| 2011 | May 16 |
| 2012 | Apr 27 |
| 2013 | May 13 |
| 2014 | Apr 23 |
| 2015 | May 1 |
| 2016 | Apr 13 |
| 2017 | May 7 |
| 2018 | Apr 29 |
| 2019 | Apr 28 |
| 2020 | May 12 |
| 2021 | May 12 |
| 2022 | Apr 27 |
| 2023 | May 3 |
| 2024 | Apr 25 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 159 |
| 2000 | 163 |
| 2001 | 170 |
| 2002 | 144 |
| 2003 | 150 |
| 2004 | 149 |
| 2005 | 163 |
| 2006 | 168 |
| 2007 | 147 |
| 2008 | 169 |
| 2009 | 169 |
| 2010 | 147 |
| 2011 | 138 |
| 2012 | 148 |
| 2013 | 159 |
| 2014 | 170 |
| 2015 | 167 |
| 2016 | 191 |
| 2017 | 174 |
| 2018 | 165 |
| 2019 | 167 |
| 2020 | 144 |
| 2021 | 163 |
| 2022 | 154 |
| 2023 | 158 |
| 2024 | 172 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 17.9 °C |
| 2000 | 17.3 °C |
| 2001 | 17.9 °C |
| 2002 | 18.2 °C |
| 2003 | 16.9 °C |
| 2004 | 17.2 °C |
| 2005 | 18.7 °C |
| 2006 | 17.9 °C |
| 2007 | 18.3 °C |
| 2008 | 17.3 °C |
| 2009 | 16.5 °C |
| 2010 | 19.1 °C |
| 2011 | 17.8 °C |
| 2012 | 18.6 °C |
| 2013 | 17.6 °C |
| 2014 | 17.6 °C |
| 2015 | 18.4 °C |
| 2016 | 19.1 °C |
| 2017 | 18.2 °C |
| 2018 | 18.6 °C |
| 2019 | 18.1 °C |
| 2020 | 18.0 °C |
| 2021 | 18.6 °C |
| 2022 | 17.8 °C |
| 2023 | 17.8 °C |
| 2024 | 19.1 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Chicago Aurora Muni Ap (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.