Mount Pulaski, IL 62541 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Mount Pulaski, IL?
Around 04/20 is the usual last spring frost, about 235 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/16, about 179 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Mount Pulaski in Zone 6a (-10 to -5°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 Mount Pulaski before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/20 isn't a guarantee
04/20 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/05 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/04 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Mount Pulaski compares
At roughly 179 frost-free days, Mount Pulaski places 25,377 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within IL, it ranks 1,040 of 1,548.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Mount Pulaski can differ from the 62541 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6a and Mount Pulaski's frost date answer different questions.