Frost Report

All states Illinois

Frost dates for Greenville, 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 10

typical year

Safe to plant

April 24

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

October 24

typical year

Growing season

196 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 13 – 27 –
Spinach – Feb 27 – Mar 20 Aug 29 – Sep 12
Lettuce – Mar 13 – Apr 3 Aug 29 – Sep 12
Radishes – Mar 13 – Apr 24 Sep 12 – 26
Onions – Mar 13 – 27 –
Potatoes – Mar 20 – Apr 3 –
Carrots – Mar 20 – Apr 10 Aug 1 – 15
Beets – Mar 13 – 27 Aug 15 – 29
Kale Jan 30 – Feb 13 Mar 13 – 27 Aug 15 – 29
Broccoli Jan 30 – Feb 13 Mar 27 – Apr 10 Aug 15 – 29
Cabbage Jan 16 – 30 Mar 13 – 27 Aug 15 – 29
Garlic – – Sep 12 – Oct 3
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Feb 27 – Mar 13 Apr 24 – May 8 –
Peppers Feb 20 – Mar 6 May 1 – 15 –
Cucumbers – Apr 24 – May 15 –
Zucchini – Apr 24 – May 22 –
Pumpkins – Apr 24 – May 15 –
Green beans – Apr 24 – Aug 15 –
Sweet corn – Apr 24 – May 22 –
Basil Mar 20 – Apr 3 May 1 – 8 –

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 24April 10March 28
Fall frost before October 11October 24November 5

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 March 31 (April 16 in a late year), and the first one in fall around November 3.

Towns that use these dates

This is the nearest NOAA station with frost records for 5 towns.

Greenville, Vandalia, Mulberry Grove, Smithboro, Vernon

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station VANDALIA, IL US (USC00118781), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 6 zip codes, all within 18 miles:

62246, 62262, 62284, 62471, 62885, 62892

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