Frost Report

All states Illinois

Frost dates for Carlinville, IL

When the last spring frost and first fall frost usually come, and when to plant, from 30 years of NOAA weather records.

Last spring frost

April 14

typical year

Safe to plant

April 30

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

October 21

typical year

Growing season

188 days

frost-free, typical year

When to plant

Counted from this page's frost dates. Warm-season crops wait for the safe-to-plant date.

CropStart indoorsPlant outsideFall planting
Cool-season crops
Peas – Mar 17 – 31 –
Spinach – Mar 3 – 24 Aug 26 – Sep 9
Lettuce – Mar 17 – Apr 7 Aug 26 – Sep 9
Radishes – Mar 17 – Apr 28 Sep 9 – 23
Onions – Mar 17 – 31 –
Potatoes – Mar 24 – Apr 7 –
Carrots – Mar 24 – Apr 14 Jul 29 – Aug 12
Beets – Mar 17 – 31 Aug 12 – 26
Kale Feb 3 – 17 Mar 17 – 31 Aug 12 – 26
Broccoli Feb 3 – 17 Mar 31 – Apr 14 Aug 12 – 26
Cabbage Jan 20 – Feb 3 Mar 17 – 31 Aug 12 – 26
Garlic – – Sep 9 – 30
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Mar 5 – 19 Apr 30 – May 14 –
Peppers Feb 26 – Mar 12 May 7 – 21 –
Cucumbers – Apr 30 – May 21 –
Zucchini – Apr 30 – May 28 –
Pumpkins – Apr 30 – May 21 –
Green beans – Apr 30 – Aug 12 –
Sweet corn – Apr 30 – May 28 –
Basil Mar 26 – Apr 9 May 7 – 14 –

Onions: from sets. Green beans: until 10 weeks before the first fall frost. Garlic: harvest next summer.

The year at a glance

Start indoors Plant outside Fall planting

The chance of frost, by date

1 year in 10Half of years9 years in 10
Spring frost after April 30April 14March 31
Fall frost before October 5October 21November 1

Frost here means 32°F or colder. Read across: in 1 year in 10, spring frost carries on past the first date, which is why that date is the safe-to-plant date.

Hard freeze (28°F)

A hard freeze kills most garden plants, even hardy ones. The last one in spring usually comes around April 2 (April 17 in a late year), and the first one in fall around November 1.

Towns that use these dates

This is the nearest NOAA station with frost records for 16 towns.

Carlinville, Gillespie, Benld, Palmyra, Wilsonville, Shipman, Mount Clare, Sawyerville, East Gillespie, White City, Royal Lakes, Chesterfield, Hettick, Standard City, Dorchester, Eagarville

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station CARLINVILLE, IL US (USC00111280), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 12 zip codes, all within 19 miles:

62009, 62023, 62033, 62085, 62088, 62093, 62572, 62626, 62630, 62649, 62674, 62685

Planting dates follow common university extension advice; your local extension service can fine-tune them for your soil and microclimate.