USDA Hardiness Zone 6a
Frost Dates for 60636 — Chicago, Illinois
Averages from Chicago Midway Ap, Il US, the nearest reporting station, 4.4 miles away.
Plant tender crops after April 11, and expect the first autumn freeze around October 31. That leaves about 201 frost-free days.
- Last spring frost
- April 11
- First fall frost
- October 31
- Growing season
- 201 days
- Hardiness zone
- 6a
50% probability
50% probability
frost-free
-10 to -5°F annual low
Planting calendar for 60636
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 31 – February 14 | Start peppers and aubergines indoors They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 14 – February 28 | Start tomatoes indoors Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 14 – March 28 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 11 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbers The average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 8 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicas They need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 17 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover them A first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 31 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbs Garlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
What these dates mean
Wait until after April 11 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in Chicago, Illinois are past their last freeze. Harvest before October 31, which leaves roughly 201 frost-free days.
ZIP 60636 sits in USDA hardiness zone 6a, meaning the average coldest night of the year falls between -10 to -5°F. Zone decides what survives the winter; frost dates decide when to plant each spring. They are different questions, and a plant can pass one and fail the other.
These are thirty-year NOAA averages for 1991–2020, not a forecast. Any individual year can frost two to three weeks either side of these dates, so check the actual forecast before planting out.