Carthage, IL 62321 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Carthage, IL?
Around 04/13 is the usual last spring frost, about 228 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/22, about 191 frost-free days later.
Zone 6a (-10 to -5°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Carthage, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 8 weeks of growing season left in Carthage before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Carthage's last frost
04/13 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/30 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/30 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Carthage compares
About 191 days separate Carthage's last and first frost, putting it 20,781 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IL, it ranks 449 of 1,548.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Carthage can differ from the 62321 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6a and Carthage's frost date answer different questions.