Malta, IL 60150 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Malta, IL?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/24, about 239 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/18, about 177 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Malta in Zone 5b (-15 to -10°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 7 weeks of growing season left in Malta before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Malta's last frost
04/24 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/09 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/10 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Malta compares
Malta's growing season runs about 177 days, ranking 26,177 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IL, it ranks 1,130 of 1,548.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Malta's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Malta's dates instead of trusting one.