When to plant in Robinson, IL
Planting dates worked out from Robinson's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 29
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 15
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 18
1 year in 10 by Oct 4
Frost-free days
184
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Robinson · 3.3 km away · station 163 m, town 162 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 4 – Mar 18 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 23 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 18 – Mar 4 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 28 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 11 – Feb 18 | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | Apr 27 |
| Peas | — | Mar 16 – Apr 13 | May 10 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 22 – May 13 | Jun 11 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 25 – May 6 | May 24 |
| Beet | — | Mar 24 – May 5 | May 13 |
| Potato | — | Mar 25 – Apr 15 | Jun 3 |
| Kale | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | May 5 |
| Broccoli | Feb 4 – Feb 18 | Mar 18 – Apr 8 | May 17 |
| Cucumber | Apr 1 – Apr 8 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 18 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 1 – Apr 8 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 13 |
| Winter squash | Apr 1 – Apr 8 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jul 18 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 22 – May 13 | Jun 21 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 18 – Apr 8 | Jun 16 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 4 – Nov 1 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 16 – Apr 13 | Apr 23 |
| Basil | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 25 |
Robinson'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 |
|---|---|
| 1898 | Apr 7 |
| 1899 | Apr 9 |
| 1900 | May 10 |
| 1901 | Apr 21 |
| 1902 | Apr 15 |
| 1903 | May 2 |
| 1904 | Apr 21 |
| 1905 | Apr 22 |
| 1906 | May 7 |
| 1907 | Apr 21 |
| 1908 | Apr 3 |
| 1909 | Apr 14 |
| 1910 | Apr 25 |
| 1911 | Apr 9 |
| 2002 | Apr 29 |
| 2003 | Apr 10 |
| 2004 | Apr 14 |
| 2005 | May 4 |
| 2006 | Apr 10 |
| 2007 | Apr 14 |
| 2008 | Apr 16 |
| 2009 | Apr 10 |
| 2010 | Mar 27 |
| 2011 | Apr 1 |
| 2012 | Apr 13 |
| 2013 | Apr 20 |
| 2014 | Apr 17 |
| 2018 | Apr 29 |
| 2019 | Apr 15 |
| 2020 | Apr 19 |
| 2021 | Apr 23 |
| 2022 | Apr 20 |
| 2023 | May 5 |
| 2024 | Apr 7 |
| 2025 | Apr 12 |
| 2026 | Mar 29 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1899 | 170 |
| 1900 | 181 |
| 1901 | 166 |
| 1902 | 181 |
| 1903 | 168 |
| 1904 | 187 |
| 1905 | 172 |
| 1906 | 156 |
| 1907 | 175 |
| 1908 | 208 |
| 1910 | 185 |
| 2002 | 167 |
| 2003 | 172 |
| 2004 | 171 |
| 2005 | 176 |
| 2006 | 184 |
| 2007 | 197 |
| 2008 | 194 |
| 2009 | 183 |
| 2010 | 208 |
| 2011 | 203 |
| 2012 | 177 |
| 2013 | 184 |
| 2014 | 195 |
| 2018 | 171 |
| 2019 | 199 |
| 2020 | 168 |
| 2021 | 193 |
| 2022 | 176 |
| 2023 | 178 |
| 2024 | 192 |
| 2025 | 195 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1898 | 20.7 °C |
| 1899 | 21.0 °C |
| 1900 | 21.5 °C |
| 1901 | 21.2 °C |
| 1902 | 19.9 °C |
| 1903 | 20.0 °C |
| 1904 | 19.0 °C |
| 1905 | 20.2 °C |
| 1906 | 20.7 °C |
| 1907 | 18.5 °C |
| 1908 | 21.0 °C |
| 1910 | 19.7 °C |
| 1911 | 21.5 °C |
| 2002 | 20.4 °C |
| 2003 | 19.3 °C |
| 2004 | 20.0 °C |
| 2005 | 21.1 °C |
| 2006 | 20.4 °C |
| 2007 | 21.1 °C |
| 2008 | 19.7 °C |
| 2009 | 19.7 °C |
| 2010 | 22.0 °C |
| 2011 | 20.8 °C |
| 2012 | 21.6 °C |
| 2013 | 20.1 °C |
| 2014 | 19.9 °C |
| 2018 | 21.1 °C |
| 2019 | 21.3 °C |
| 2020 | 19.9 °C |
| 2021 | 20.5 °C |
| 2022 | 20.8 °C |
| 2023 | 20.4 °C |
| 2024 | 21.2 °C |
| 2025 | 21.0 °C |
| 2026 | 21.8 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1898, Robinson's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Robinson (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.