When to plant in Pawnee, IL
Planting dates worked out from Pawnee's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 17
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 23
1 year in 10 by Oct 9
Frost-free days
195
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Virden · 18.8 km away · station 206 m, town 184 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 20 – Mar 6 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jun 11 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 6 – Feb 20 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jun 16 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 8 – Feb 15 | Mar 15 – Mar 29 | Apr 24 |
| Peas | — | Mar 15 – Apr 12 | May 9 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 10 – May 1 | May 30 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 23 – May 4 | May 22 |
| Beet | — | Mar 23 – May 4 | May 12 |
| Potato | — | Mar 23 – Apr 13 | Jun 1 |
| Kale | Feb 8 – Feb 22 | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | May 4 |
| Broccoli | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Mar 15 – Apr 5 | May 14 |
| Cucumber | Mar 20 – Mar 27 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jun 6 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 20 – Mar 27 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jun 1 |
| Winter squash | Mar 20 – Mar 27 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jul 6 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 10 – May 1 | Jun 9 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 15 – Apr 5 | Jun 13 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 9 – Nov 6 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 15 – Apr 12 | Apr 22 |
| Basil | Mar 6 – Mar 20 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jun 13 |
Pawnee'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 |
|---|---|
| 1949 | Apr 19 |
| 1950 | Apr 21 |
| 1952 | Apr 16 |
| 1953 | Apr 21 |
| 1954 | May 4 |
| 1955 | Apr 8 |
| 1956 | Apr 24 |
| 1957 | May 4 |
| 1958 | Apr 29 |
| 1959 | Apr 22 |
| 1961 | Apr 17 |
| 1962 | Apr 16 |
| 1963 | Apr 24 |
| 1965 | Apr 3 |
| 1966 | May 11 |
| 1967 | Apr 27 |
| 1968 | Apr 25 |
| 1970 | Apr 5 |
| 1971 | Apr 29 |
| 1972 | Apr 26 |
| 1973 | Apr 14 |
| 1974 | Apr 24 |
| 1975 | Apr 13 |
| 1976 | May 8 |
| 1977 | Apr 6 |
| 1978 | May 2 |
| 1979 | Apr 10 |
| 1980 | Apr 25 |
| 1981 | Apr 6 |
| 1982 | Apr 21 |
| 1983 | Apr 20 |
| 1984 | Apr 1 |
| 1985 | Apr 9 |
| 1986 | Apr 23 |
| 1988 | Apr 19 |
| 1989 | Apr 13 |
| 1990 | Apr 18 |
| 1991 | Mar 30 |
| 1992 | Apr 5 |
| 1993 | Apr 3 |
| 1994 | Apr 7 |
| 1995 | Apr 5 |
| 1996 | Apr 14 |
| 1997 | Apr 17 |
| 1998 | Apr 5 |
| 1999 | Mar 27 |
| 2000 | Apr 12 |
| 2001 | Apr 18 |
| 2002 | Apr 6 |
| 2003 | Apr 10 |
| 2004 | Apr 13 |
| 2005 | Mar 21 |
| 2006 | Apr 9 |
| 2008 | Apr 29 |
| 2009 | Apr 12 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1949 | 186 |
| 1950 | 186 |
| 1952 | 169 |
| 1953 | 190 |
| 1954 | 176 |
| 1955 | 205 |
| 1956 | 197 |
| 1957 | 167 |
| 1958 | 182 |
| 1959 | 178 |
| 1961 | 191 |
| 1962 | 190 |
| 1963 | 187 |
| 1965 | 191 |
| 1966 | 158 |
| 1967 | 166 |
| 1968 | 161 |
| 1970 | 194 |
| 1971 | 188 |
| 1972 | 171 |
| 1973 | 202 |
| 1974 | 151 |
| 1975 | 171 |
| 1976 | 160 |
| 1977 | 189 |
| 1978 | 158 |
| 1979 | 182 |
| 1980 | 162 |
| 1981 | 199 |
| 1982 | 177 |
| 1983 | 155 |
| 1984 | 181 |
| 1985 | 174 |
| 1986 | 193 |
| 1988 | 168 |
| 1989 | 163 |
| 1990 | 183 |
| 1991 | 202 |
| 1992 | 194 |
| 1993 | 189 |
| 1994 | 200 |
| 1995 | 211 |
| 1996 | 199 |
| 1997 | 193 |
| 1998 | 214 |
| 1999 | 209 |
| 2000 | 177 |
| 2001 | 181 |
| 2002 | 196 |
| 2003 | 174 |
| 2004 | 212 |
| 2005 | 233 |
| 2006 | 185 |
| 2008 | 181 |
| 2009 | 188 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1949 | 19.9 °C |
| 1950 | 18.7 °C |
| 1952 | 20.7 °C |
| 1953 | 20.7 °C |
| 1954 | 22.0 °C |
| 1955 | 21.6 °C |
| 1956 | 20.4 °C |
| 1957 | 20.0 °C |
| 1958 | 19.6 °C |
| 1959 | 21.0 °C |
| 1960 | 20.1 °C |
| 1961 | 19.2 °C |
| 1962 | 20.4 °C |
| 1963 | 20.5 °C |
| 1964 | 21.3 °C |
| 1965 | 20.4 °C |
| 1966 | 19.3 °C |
| 1967 | 19.0 °C |
| 1968 | 19.9 °C |
| 1969 | 19.9 °C |
| 1970 | 20.4 °C |
| 1971 | 19.9 °C |
| 1972 | 20.0 °C |
| 1973 | 19.8 °C |
| 1974 | 19.5 °C |
| 1975 | 20.1 °C |
| 1976 | 19.6 °C |
| 1977 | 21.4 °C |
| 1978 | 20.6 °C |
| 1979 | 19.6 °C |
| 1980 | 20.9 °C |
| 1981 | 20.3 °C |
| 1982 | 19.8 °C |
| 1983 | 20.9 °C |
| 1984 | 20.6 °C |
| 1985 | 20.7 °C |
| 1986 | 22.0 °C |
| 1988 | 21.7 °C |
| 1990 | 20.2 °C |
| 1992 | 19.7 °C |
| 1993 | 20.0 °C |
| 1994 | 19.9 °C |
| 1995 | 20.1 °C |
| 1996 | 19.5 °C |
| 1997 | 19.4 °C |
| 1998 | 21.6 °C |
| 1999 | 21.1 °C |
| 2000 | 20.7 °C |
| 2001 | 21.3 °C |
| 2002 | 21.4 °C |
| 2003 | 20.2 °C |
| 2004 | 20.6 °C |
| 2005 | 21.8 °C |
| 2006 | 20.9 °C |
| 2008 | 19.8 °C |
| 2009 | 19.6 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1949, Pawnee's last spring frost has come about 3 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 3 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Virden (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.