When is the best time to plant in the Chicago area this spring? A look at the numbers

Does the warmer spring weather have you thinking about your garden and when to plant?

Typically the rule of thumb is to wait until Mother’s Day. That’s the safest bet.

However, the last freeze for the Chicago area was in early April the last two years, and we’ve only had one freeze in the month of May in the last 20 years (May 9, 2020).

That being said, Chicago’s latest freeze on record is May 25.

Here are the 30-year average last freeze dates.

If you’re looking for more specific guidelines on both when and how to plant, the University of Illinois published these guidelines for central Illinois. You’ll need to add two weeks to the planting date for northern Illinois.