When to plant in Marion, IL
Planting dates worked out from Marion's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 28
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 12
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 16
1 year in 10 by Oct 2
Frost-free days
188
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Crab Orchard Illinois · 8.4 km away · station 137 m, town 129 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 3 – Mar 17 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 22 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 17 – Mar 3 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 27 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 8 – Feb 15 | Mar 15 – Mar 29 | Apr 24 |
| Peas | — | Mar 4 – Apr 1 | Apr 28 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 21 – May 12 | Jun 10 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 22 – May 3 | May 21 |
| Beet | — | Mar 15 – Apr 26 | May 4 |
| Potato | — | Mar 22 – Apr 12 | May 31 |
| Kale | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Mar 15 – Mar 29 | Apr 27 |
| Broccoli | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Mar 15 – Apr 5 | May 14 |
| Cucumber | Mar 31 – Apr 7 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 17 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 31 – Apr 7 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 12 |
| Winter squash | Mar 31 – Apr 7 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jul 17 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 21 – May 12 | Jun 20 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 15 – Apr 5 | Jun 13 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 2 – Oct 30 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 4 – Apr 1 | Apr 11 |
| Basil | Mar 17 – Mar 31 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 24 |
Marion'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 |
|---|---|
| 2003 | Mar 15 |
| 2004 | Apr 14 |
| 2006 | Apr 9 |
| 2007 | Apr 13 |
| 2008 | Apr 15 |
| 2009 | Apr 9 |
| 2010 | Mar 30 |
| 2011 | Apr 1 |
| 2012 | Apr 12 |
| 2013 | Apr 25 |
| 2014 | Apr 16 |
| 2015 | Apr 5 |
| 2016 | Apr 13 |
| 2018 | Apr 30 |
| 2019 | Apr 15 |
| 2020 | May 9 |
| 2021 | Apr 22 |
| 2022 | Apr 3 |
| 2023 | Apr 24 |
| 2024 | Apr 22 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 200 |
| 2004 | 171 |
| 2006 | 186 |
| 2007 | 198 |
| 2008 | 195 |
| 2009 | 190 |
| 2010 | 187 |
| 2011 | 183 |
| 2012 | 181 |
| 2013 | 179 |
| 2014 | 189 |
| 2015 | 194 |
| 2016 | 210 |
| 2020 | 148 |
| 2021 | 194 |
| 2022 | 188 |
| 2023 | 188 |
| 2024 | 176 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 20.5 °C |
| 2004 | 20.8 °C |
| 2006 | 21.1 °C |
| 2007 | 22.0 °C |
| 2008 | 20.6 °C |
| 2009 | 20.7 °C |
| 2010 | 22.8 °C |
| 2011 | 22.1 °C |
| 2012 | 22.3 °C |
| 2013 | 20.8 °C |
| 2014 | 20.8 °C |
| 2015 | 21.8 °C |
| 2016 | 22.0 °C |
| 2018 | 22.0 °C |
| 2019 | 21.9 °C |
| 2020 | 20.9 °C |
| 2021 | 21.5 °C |
| 2022 | 21.6 °C |
| 2023 | 21.5 °C |
| 2024 | 22.3 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Crab Orchard Illinois (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.