When to plant in Eldorado, IL
Planting dates worked out from Eldorado's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 20
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 10
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 17
1 year in 10 by Oct 3
Frost-free days
189
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Carmi 4 Ne · 37.9 km away · station 118 m, town 119 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 | Feb 23 – Mar 9 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 14 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 19 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 6 – Feb 13 | Mar 13 – Mar 27 | Apr 22 |
| Peas | — | Mar 9 – Apr 6 | May 3 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 13 – May 4 | Jun 2 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 20 – May 1 | May 19 |
| Beet | — | Mar 20 – May 1 | May 9 |
| Potato | — | Mar 20 – Apr 10 | May 29 |
| Kale | Feb 2 – Feb 16 | Mar 16 – Mar 30 | Apr 28 |
| Broccoli | Jan 30 – Feb 13 | Mar 13 – Apr 3 | May 12 |
| Cucumber | Mar 23 – Mar 30 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 9 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 23 – Mar 30 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 4 |
| Winter squash | Mar 23 – Mar 30 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jul 9 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 13 – May 4 | Jun 12 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 13 – Apr 3 | Jun 11 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 3 – Oct 31 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 9 – Apr 6 | Apr 16 |
| Basil | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 16 |
Eldorado'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 |
|---|---|
| 1988 | Apr 20 |
| 1989 | Apr 11 |
| 1990 | Apr 18 |
| 1991 | Mar 31 |
| 1992 | Apr 28 |
| 1993 | Apr 22 |
| 1994 | Apr 9 |
| 1995 | Apr 5 |
| 1996 | Apr 10 |
| 1997 | Apr 18 |
| 1998 | Apr 5 |
| 1999 | Mar 28 |
| 2000 | Apr 9 |
| 2001 | Apr 18 |
| 2002 | Apr 5 |
| 2003 | Apr 6 |
| 2004 | Apr 14 |
| 2005 | May 4 |
| 2006 | Mar 27 |
| 2007 | Apr 13 |
| 2008 | Apr 15 |
| 2009 | Apr 9 |
| 2010 | Mar 30 |
| 2011 | Apr 2 |
| 2013 | Apr 20 |
| 2014 | Apr 16 |
| 2015 | Apr 5 |
| 2016 | Apr 9 |
| 2017 | Mar 22 |
| 2018 | Apr 17 |
| 2019 | Apr 15 |
| 2020 | Apr 17 |
| 2021 | May 11 |
| 2022 | Apr 19 |
| 2023 | Apr 24 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1988 | 174 |
| 1989 | 191 |
| 1990 | 183 |
| 1991 | 189 |
| 1992 | 173 |
| 1993 | 182 |
| 1994 | 198 |
| 1995 | 171 |
| 1996 | 191 |
| 1997 | 182 |
| 1998 | 200 |
| 1999 | 177 |
| 2000 | 180 |
| 2001 | 171 |
| 2002 | 191 |
| 2004 | 171 |
| 2006 | 201 |
| 2007 | 198 |
| 2008 | 186 |
| 2009 | 191 |
| 2013 | 184 |
| 2014 | 198 |
| 2015 | 195 |
| 2016 | 213 |
| 2017 | 220 |
| 2018 | 185 |
| 2019 | 199 |
| 2020 | 169 |
| 2021 | 174 |
| 2022 | 172 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1988 | 21.2 °C |
| 1990 | 21.2 °C |
| 1991 | 22.6 °C |
| 1992 | 19.8 °C |
| 1993 | 20.9 °C |
| 1994 | 20.3 °C |
| 1995 | 21.3 °C |
| 1996 | 20.6 °C |
| 1997 | 19.6 °C |
| 1998 | 22.1 °C |
| 1999 | 21.1 °C |
| 2000 | 21.1 °C |
| 2001 | 21.2 °C |
| 2002 | 22.8 °C |
| 2003 | 20.8 °C |
| 2004 | 20.8 °C |
| 2005 | 21.4 °C |
| 2006 | 20.8 °C |
| 2007 | 21.5 °C |
| 2008 | 20.1 °C |
| 2009 | 20.4 °C |
| 2010 | 22.7 °C |
| 2011 | 21.7 °C |
| 2013 | 20.8 °C |
| 2014 | 20.6 °C |
| 2015 | 21.2 °C |
| 2016 | 21.8 °C |
| 2017 | 20.7 °C |
| 2018 | 21.5 °C |
| 2019 | 21.6 °C |
| 2020 | 20.2 °C |
| 2021 | 20.7 °C |
| 2022 | 21.4 °C |
| 2023 | 21.1 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1988, Eldorado's last spring frost has come about 1 day later per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 2 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Carmi 4 Ne (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.