When to plant in Madison, IL
Planting dates worked out from Madison'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 8
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 21
1 year in 10 by Oct 6
Frost-free days
196
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Cahokia St Louis Dwtn Ap · 13.2 km away · station 123 m, town 126 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 4 – Feb 11 | Mar 11 – Mar 25 | Apr 20 |
| Peas | — | Mar 7 – Apr 4 | May 1 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 13 – May 4 | Jun 2 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 18 – Apr 29 | May 17 |
| Beet | — | Mar 17 – Apr 28 | May 6 |
| Potato | — | Mar 18 – Apr 8 | May 27 |
| Kale | Jan 31 – Feb 14 | Mar 14 – Mar 28 | Apr 26 |
| Broccoli | Jan 28 – Feb 11 | Mar 11 – Apr 1 | May 10 |
| 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 11 – Apr 1 | Jun 9 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 7 – Nov 4 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 7 – Apr 4 | Apr 14 |
| Basil | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 16 |
Madison'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 |
|---|---|
| 1998 | Apr 5 |
| 1999 | Mar 27 |
| 2000 | Apr 22 |
| 2001 | Apr 18 |
| 2002 | Apr 5 |
| 2003 | Apr 11 |
| 2004 | Apr 14 |
| 2005 | Mar 20 |
| 2006 | Apr 9 |
| 2007 | Apr 13 |
| 2008 | Apr 29 |
| 2009 | Apr 9 |
| 2010 | Mar 30 |
| 2011 | Mar 28 |
| 2012 | Mar 10 |
| 2013 | Apr 20 |
| 2014 | Apr 15 |
| 2015 | Apr 4 |
| 2016 | Apr 9 |
| 2017 | Mar 19 |
| 2018 | Apr 20 |
| 2019 | Apr 15 |
| 2020 | Apr 18 |
| 2021 | Apr 22 |
| 2022 | Apr 3 |
| 2023 | Apr 24 |
| 2024 | Apr 6 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 200 |
| 1999 | 191 |
| 2000 | 167 |
| 2001 | 181 |
| 2002 | 191 |
| 2003 | 208 |
| 2004 | 173 |
| 2005 | 219 |
| 2006 | 185 |
| 2007 | 197 |
| 2008 | 181 |
| 2009 | 183 |
| 2010 | 212 |
| 2011 | 226 |
| 2012 | 211 |
| 2013 | 184 |
| 2014 | 199 |
| 2015 | 196 |
| 2016 | 216 |
| 2017 | 223 |
| 2018 | 183 |
| 2019 | 198 |
| 2020 | 169 |
| 2021 | 193 |
| 2022 | 198 |
| 2023 | 188 |
| 2024 | 192 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 21.9 °C |
| 1999 | 21.1 °C |
| 2000 | 20.8 °C |
| 2001 | 21.6 °C |
| 2002 | 22.0 °C |
| 2003 | 20.6 °C |
| 2004 | 20.4 °C |
| 2005 | 21.7 °C |
| 2006 | 21.3 °C |
| 2007 | 22.0 °C |
| 2008 | 20.3 °C |
| 2009 | 20.3 °C |
| 2010 | 22.2 °C |
| 2011 | 21.6 °C |
| 2012 | 22.6 °C |
| 2013 | 20.8 °C |
| 2014 | 21.2 °C |
| 2015 | 22.2 °C |
| 2016 | 22.5 °C |
| 2017 | 22.3 °C |
| 2018 | 22.2 °C |
| 2019 | 22.0 °C |
| 2020 | 20.8 °C |
| 2021 | 21.3 °C |
| 2022 | 21.6 °C |
| 2023 | 21.8 °C |
| 2024 | 22.7 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Cahokia St Louis Dwtn Ap (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.