When to plant in Heritage Lake, IL
Planting dates worked out from Heritage Lake's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 16
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 29
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 12
1 year in 10 by Sep 30
Frost-free days
163
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Congerville 2nw · 10.9 km away · station 195 m, town 228 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 21 – Apr 4 | May 16 – May 30 | Jul 10 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | May 16 – May 30 | Jul 15 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 25 – Mar 4 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | May 11 |
| Peas | — | Mar 23 – Apr 20 | May 17 |
| Bush beans | — | May 9 – May 30 | Jun 28 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 8 – May 20 | Jun 7 |
| Beet | — | Apr 2 – May 14 | May 22 |
| Potato | — | Apr 8 – Apr 29 | Jun 17 |
| Kale | Feb 18 – Mar 4 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | May 14 |
| Broccoli | Feb 18 – Mar 4 | Apr 1 – Apr 22 | May 31 |
| Cucumber | Apr 18 – Apr 25 | May 16 – May 30 | Jul 5 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 18 – Apr 25 | May 16 – May 30 | Jun 30 |
| Winter squash | Apr 18 – Apr 25 | May 16 – May 30 | Aug 4 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 9 – May 30 | Jul 8 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 1 – Apr 22 | Jun 30 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 28 – Oct 26 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 23 – Apr 20 | Apr 30 |
| Basil | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | May 16 – May 30 | Jul 12 |
Heritage Lake'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 |
|---|---|
| 1997 | May 16 |
| 1998 | Apr 19 |
| 1999 | Apr 19 |
| 2000 | Apr 26 |
| 2001 | Apr 19 |
| 2002 | May 20 |
| 2003 | May 3 |
| 2004 | Apr 27 |
| 2005 | May 16 |
| 2006 | Apr 9 |
| 2007 | Apr 16 |
| 2009 | Apr 22 |
| 2010 | May 9 |
| 2011 | May 15 |
| 2012 | Apr 23 |
| 2013 | May 13 |
| 2014 | Apr 17 |
| 2015 | May 1 |
| 2016 | Apr 13 |
| 2017 | Apr 23 |
| 2018 | Apr 29 |
| 2019 | Apr 28 |
| 2020 | May 12 |
| 2021 | May 13 |
| 2022 | Apr 26 |
| 2023 | Apr 26 |
| 2024 | Apr 25 |
| 2025 | Apr 16 |
| 2026 | Apr 20 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 151 |
| 1998 | 177 |
| 1999 | 155 |
| 2000 | 163 |
| 2001 | 169 |
| 2002 | 145 |
| 2003 | 148 |
| 2004 | 158 |
| 2005 | 152 |
| 2006 | 185 |
| 2007 | 194 |
| 2009 | 170 |
| 2010 | 147 |
| 2011 | 139 |
| 2012 | 153 |
| 2013 | 153 |
| 2014 | 184 |
| 2015 | 168 |
| 2016 | 210 |
| 2017 | 188 |
| 2018 | 169 |
| 2019 | 166 |
| 2020 | 145 |
| 2021 | 171 |
| 2022 | 155 |
| 2023 | 166 |
| 2024 | 172 |
| 2025 | 189 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 17.1 °C |
| 1998 | 19.7 °C |
| 1999 | 19.0 °C |
| 2000 | 18.8 °C |
| 2001 | 19.4 °C |
| 2002 | 18.8 °C |
| 2003 | 18.0 °C |
| 2004 | 18.1 °C |
| 2005 | 20.2 °C |
| 2006 | 19.3 °C |
| 2007 | 19.7 °C |
| 2009 | 17.8 °C |
| 2010 | 20.4 °C |
| 2011 | 19.0 °C |
| 2012 | 20.0 °C |
| 2013 | 18.5 °C |
| 2014 | 18.2 °C |
| 2015 | 19.5 °C |
| 2016 | 20.2 °C |
| 2017 | 19.5 °C |
| 2018 | 20.1 °C |
| 2019 | 19.4 °C |
| 2020 | 18.8 °C |
| 2021 | 19.4 °C |
| 2022 | 19.1 °C |
| 2023 | 19.1 °C |
| 2024 | 19.5 °C |
| 2025 | 19.5 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Congerville 2nw (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.