When to plant in Mount Zion, IL
Planting dates worked out from Mount Zion'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 20
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 19
1 year in 10 by Oct 5
Frost-free days
180
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Decatur Ap · 6.6 km away · station 205 m, town 211 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 16 – Feb 23 | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | May 2 |
| Peas | — | Mar 18 – Apr 15 | May 12 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 27 – May 18 | Jun 16 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 30 – May 11 | May 29 |
| Beet | — | Mar 26 – May 7 | May 15 |
| Potato | — | Mar 30 – Apr 20 | Jun 8 |
| Kale | Feb 11 – Feb 25 | Mar 25 – Apr 8 | May 7 |
| Broccoli | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | Mar 23 – Apr 13 | May 22 |
| 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 23 – Apr 13 | Jun 21 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 5 – Nov 2 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 18 – Apr 15 | Apr 25 |
| Basil | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | May 4 – May 18 | Jun 30 |
Mount Zion'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 |
|---|---|
| 2001 | Apr 18 |
| 2002 | May 21 |
| 2003 | Apr 23 |
| 2004 | Apr 14 |
| 2005 | May 4 |
| 2006 | Apr 9 |
| 2007 | Apr 16 |
| 2008 | Apr 15 |
| 2009 | Apr 12 |
| 2010 | Apr 18 |
| 2011 | Apr 21 |
| 2012 | Apr 12 |
| 2013 | Apr 20 |
| 2014 | Apr 23 |
| 2015 | Apr 24 |
| 2016 | Apr 13 |
| 2017 | Mar 23 |
| 2018 | Apr 30 |
| 2019 | Apr 15 |
| 2020 | May 9 |
| 2021 | May 12 |
| 2022 | Apr 19 |
| 2023 | Apr 24 |
| 2024 | Apr 25 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 171 |
| 2002 | 144 |
| 2003 | 161 |
| 2004 | 171 |
| 2005 | 176 |
| 2006 | 185 |
| 2007 | 195 |
| 2008 | 195 |
| 2009 | 202 |
| 2010 | 186 |
| 2011 | 189 |
| 2012 | 177 |
| 2013 | 183 |
| 2014 | 182 |
| 2015 | 175 |
| 2016 | 212 |
| 2017 | 216 |
| 2018 | 168 |
| 2019 | 179 |
| 2020 | 148 |
| 2021 | 173 |
| 2022 | 181 |
| 2023 | 188 |
| 2024 | 174 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 19.8 °C |
| 2002 | 20.0 °C |
| 2003 | 18.7 °C |
| 2004 | 19.1 °C |
| 2005 | 20.6 °C |
| 2006 | 20.8 °C |
| 2007 | 21.1 °C |
| 2008 | 19.0 °C |
| 2009 | 18.7 °C |
| 2010 | 21.6 °C |
| 2011 | 20.5 °C |
| 2012 | 21.0 °C |
| 2013 | 19.5 °C |
| 2014 | 19.6 °C |
| 2015 | 20.4 °C |
| 2016 | 20.8 °C |
| 2017 | 20.1 °C |
| 2018 | 20.6 °C |
| 2019 | 20.4 °C |
| 2020 | 19.4 °C |
| 2021 | 20.4 °C |
| 2022 | 20.0 °C |
| 2023 | 20.2 °C |
| 2024 | 20.9 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Decatur Ap (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.