When to plant in Mount Sterling, IL
Planting dates worked out from Mount Sterling's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 4
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 21
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 9
1 year in 10 by Oct 2
Frost-free days
173
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Perry 6 Nw · 20.8 km away · station 198 m, town 221 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 9 – Mar 23 | May 4 – May 18 | Jun 28 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 23 – Mar 9 | May 4 – May 18 | Jul 3 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 17 – Feb 24 | Mar 24 – Apr 7 | May 3 |
| Peas | — | Mar 20 – Apr 17 | May 14 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 27 – May 18 | Jun 16 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 31 – May 12 | May 30 |
| Beet | — | Mar 29 – May 10 | May 18 |
| Potato | — | Mar 31 – Apr 21 | Jun 9 |
| Kale | Feb 13 – Feb 27 | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | May 9 |
| Broccoli | Feb 10 – Feb 24 | Mar 24 – Apr 14 | May 23 |
| Cucumber | Apr 6 – Apr 13 | May 4 – May 18 | Jun 23 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 6 – Apr 13 | May 4 – May 18 | Jun 18 |
| Winter squash | Apr 6 – Apr 13 | May 4 – May 18 | Jul 23 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 27 – May 18 | Jun 26 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 24 – Apr 14 | Jun 22 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 25 – Oct 23 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 20 – Apr 17 | Apr 27 |
| Basil | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | May 4 – May 18 | Jun 30 |
Mount Sterling'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 |
|---|---|
| 1993 | Apr 18 |
| 1994 | May 1 |
| 1995 | Apr 25 |
| 1996 | Apr 14 |
| 1997 | May 16 |
| 1998 | Apr 19 |
| 1999 | Apr 19 |
| 2000 | Apr 13 |
| 2001 | Apr 18 |
| 2002 | May 20 |
| 2003 | Apr 11 |
| 2004 | Apr 14 |
| 2005 | May 4 |
| 2006 | Apr 10 |
| 2007 | Apr 16 |
| 2008 | Apr 30 |
| 2009 | Apr 15 |
| 2010 | Apr 9 |
| 2011 | May 4 |
| 2012 | Apr 21 |
| 2013 | Apr 24 |
| 2015 | Apr 23 |
| 2016 | Apr 13 |
| 2017 | Apr 7 |
| 2018 | Apr 20 |
| 2021 | Apr 23 |
| 2022 | Apr 27 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1993 | 174 |
| 1994 | 162 |
| 1995 | 150 |
| 1996 | 172 |
| 1997 | 151 |
| 1998 | 185 |
| 1999 | 168 |
| 2000 | 176 |
| 2001 | 171 |
| 2002 | 146 |
| 2003 | 173 |
| 2004 | 171 |
| 2005 | 174 |
| 2006 | 184 |
| 2007 | 151 |
| 2009 | 177 |
| 2010 | 177 |
| 2011 | 150 |
| 2015 | 176 |
| 2016 | 182 |
| 2017 | 204 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1993 | 18.4 °C |
| 1994 | 18.6 °C |
| 1995 | 19.1 °C |
| 1996 | 18.5 °C |
| 1997 | 18.2 °C |
| 1998 | 20.5 °C |
| 1999 | 19.8 °C |
| 2000 | 19.9 °C |
| 2001 | 20.2 °C |
| 2002 | 20.1 °C |
| 2003 | 19.3 °C |
| 2004 | 19.2 °C |
| 2005 | 20.7 °C |
| 2006 | 20.2 °C |
| 2007 | 20.5 °C |
| 2008 | 18.8 °C |
| 2009 | 19.0 °C |
| 2010 | 21.4 °C |
| 2011 | 20.1 °C |
| 2012 | 20.6 °C |
| 2015 | 20.5 °C |
| 2016 | 20.7 °C |
| 2017 | 20.2 °C |
| 2021 | 19.3 °C |
| 2022 | 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 Perry 6 Nw (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.