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When to plant / Illinois

When to plant swiss chard in Illinois

The planting chart is divided into Northern Illinois, Central Illinois, and Southern Illinois. Median dates for the last 32-degree freeze on the same page: Northern Illinois April 8-29; Central Illinois April 8-15; Southern Illinois April 1-8. The page also says southern Illinois can generally start crops two weeks earlier than central Illinois and northern Illinois about two weeks later; the crop rows below are the chart dates, not a recalculation of that sentence.

Source: University of Illinois Extension, When to Plant, retrieved 2026-10-10.

How this page reads that source: Illinois Fruit and Vegetable Planting Dates chart: north: April 24 to May 15, July 24 to Aug. 10; central: April 10 to June 1, July 21 to August 1; south: March 27 to May 15, July 7 to 21.

North

  • April 24 to May 15 (April 24–May 15).
  • July 24 to Aug. 10 (July 24–August 10).

Central

  • April 10 to June 1 (April 10–June 1).
  • July 21 to August 1 (July 21–August 1).

South

  • March 27 to May 15 (March 27–May 15).
  • July 7 to 21 (July 7–July 21).

City frost pages in Illinois are listed on Illinois.