Watering Through a Dry Spell in Illinois
July delivers 3.71 inches of rain across the month here, and the year brings 14.0 days that hit 90 degrees or hotter.
Gardening in Illinois
Everything we have worked out for Illinois: what to plant and when, which varieties finish in time, the pests that actually turn up here, and the jobs that pay off month by month. We also cover the rest of the property, from lawns and soil to home care and energy, because a garden rarely stops at the vegetable bed.
The numbers first, because everything else follows from them. Measured at the weather station in Chicago, the last spring freeze runs April 11 to April 22 and the first fall freeze runs October 24 to November 3, USDA zones 5a-7b, 3,274 growing degree days in the year.
Garlic does well: 26.1 weeks below 40 °F, comfortably past the six it needs to form a proper head.
Elsewhere on the property in Illinois: the pests that turn up here.
Figures from NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals. A state is not one climate: elevation, a large lake or the coast can move these dates by two weeks either way, so check your own county with the extension service before you spend money.
Watering Pots and Containers in Illinois
July delivers 3.71 inches of rain across the state’s reference station, the driest month of the Illinois summer, while the same station logs 14.0 days a…
When to Plant Onions in Illinois
At 41.99 degrees north, the reference city for this page sees 15 hours and 4 minutes of daylight on the summer solstice.
The Best Onion Varieties for Illinois
At Illinois’s reference latitude of 41.99 degrees north, the longest day of the year brings 15 hours and 4 minutes of daylight.
Forcing Spring Bulbs Indoors in Illinois
Forcing spring bulbs indoors means chilling them artificially so they bloom weeks before their outdoor season would ever start.
Growing Spring Bulbs in Containers in Illinois
Spring bulbs grow fine in containers in Illinois, but the pot changes the rules.
Watering a Garden in Illinois: How Much, How Often, and the Local Rules
Illinois gardens need roughly an inch of water a week during the growing season, delivered slowly and at the roots rather than sprinkled overhead.
Growing Potatoes in Illinois: Dates, Varieties and Summer Heat
Illinois gardeners get a favorable hand here: the reference city sees only 14 days a year at or above 90 F, well under the threshold that stalls tuber…
Canning at Altitude in Illinois: What Your Elevation Changes
Chicago sits at 587 feet above sea level. At that height, published boiling temperatures for water run between 208°F and 212°F, depending on the day’s…
The Illinois Apple Calendar, Stage by Stage
Apple bloom, fruit set, and harvest timing in Illinois track frost dates from NOAA’s Chicago climate normals, not a fixed calendar month.