Golconda, IL 62938 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Golconda, IL?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/14, roughly 229 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/21, about 189 frost-free days later.
Zone 7a (0 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 Golconda, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 8 weeks of growing season left in Golconda before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/14 isn't a guarantee
04/14 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/28 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 Golconda compares
Golconda's growing season runs about 189 days, ranking 21,682 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IL, it ranks 624 of 1,548.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Golconda's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Golconda can differ from the 62938 normal.