USDA Hardiness Zone 6a
Frost Dates for 61705 — Bloomington, Illinois
Averages from Normal 4ne, Il US, the nearest reporting station, 5.5 miles away.
Plant tender crops after April 25, and expect the first autumn freeze around October 16. That leaves about 172 frost-free days.
- Last spring frost
- April 25
- First fall frost
- October 16
- Growing season
- 172 days
- Hardiness zone
- 6a
50% probability
50% probability
frost-free
-10 to -5°F annual low
Planting calendar for 61705
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 14 – February 28 | Start peppers and aubergines indoors They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 28 – March 14 | Start tomatoes indoors Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 28 – April 11 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 25 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbers The average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 24 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicas They need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 2 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover them A first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 16 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 25 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in Bloomington, Illinois are past their last freeze. Harvest before October 16, which leaves roughly 172 frost-free days.
ZIP 61705 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.