Gardening - Berwyn,IL

Typically the pack will tell you if you need to plant before or after the last frost. In Chicago the farmers almanac says it is safe to plant after 4/21. I am from lower MI so I always have used Mother's Day as my guide. That is when I do all my planting even now that I live in IL. Since the last few nights have been in the low 30's I am holding off until the next warm spell which I heard is next weekend. Best of luck.

I married into a family of farmers and this is what they said:

We are in Zone 5. In general, most food plants aren't put in the ground until (around) May 1, due to the late freezes that occur in April in our zone. However, no late frosts were expected this April (and we haven't had them), so plantings went in early this year -- 2 weeks ago. Our growing season in Zone 5 is already pretty short, so get them in now. And anyway...it's almost May 1! So either way, you are safe! GO FOR IT!

Yes, go ahead and plant, just watch the weather. If there is a frost advisory for overnight, run out and cover them. Since they are stil small, you can throw an old T-Shirt over them & then in the morning uncover them. If you want to be overprotective, cover them every night that it will be under 40. I have 2 peppers, lettuce and a raspberry bush already planted and they are doing great. I am holding off on my tomatoes. I purchased my tomatoes as plants and I am doing them again this year in a topsy turvy, so it's hard to cover that, if there is a frost, but you can cover tomato plants as well. Good luck!

Wait till about mid May. tomatoes and peppers are best if you plant an actual plant not seeds. The growing season isn't long enough for those to do very well from seed around this area. I do recommend cages for the peppers, those bunnies love pepper plants! My first pepper plant was just a stick after the first couple of days as the bunnies ate all the leaves off! Make sure to have a fence or something for the cucumbers to climb up, they do much better and produce more veggies climbing up something. And space them far from other plants. they will grab a hold of anything near them and strangle them. My mom is a Master Gardener so I ask her everything before I do anything garden related. If you have an specific questions, feel free to ask I can get the right info for you! Good luck!
K. G

If you live in Chicago, I've been told a good rule of thumb is to wait until Mother's Day weekend. If you've planted already, and you hear there's going to be frost, be sure to cover up the plants with mulch or plastic bags overnight, and be sure to uncover them each morning.

It is definitely too early. The ground is too cold and still too hard. Weight at least another 3 weeks or consult a local greenhouse for their recommendations for planting this year.

It is not yet time for planting those. Wait until after May 15th to get them outside. I have taken chances and lost plants, especially tomato and strawberries due to a later frost. Mid-May is usually the last frost for us. With the crazy weather we have, you never know what it will be like.

My strawberries are outside and doing just fine. I'm planning to get my tomato out this weekend too. It's not getting below freezing anymore so it's the right time to get started outdoors.

In the Chicago area wait until Mother's Day to plant outside. And next year resist the urge to purchase until then--that way the stores have to deal with the frost issue not you.. I have lost many a plant this way. It is ok to go ahead and get peas from seed in the ground already. Peas and spinach are cool weather veggies so mine are already in the garden. Best of luck. My garden gets bigger and bigger each year and my kids love helping out and LOVE their veggies because of it.

You can plant them outside fairly safely after the last frost date for your area. In the mean time, you can harden them off by placing them outside for a little longer everyday.
http://www.usagardener.com/breaking_ground/frost_dates_us...

In Ohio - I ususally don't plant peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers & other warm weather veg till around Mother's Day (mid May), but my dad always said Memorial Day weekend is when you plant. But I have had no issues with loosing my plants after Mother's Day. I just always make sure I am prepaired to cover them w/ a blanket if there is a change of frost.

As for the strawberries, mine that I planted a few years ago are up & thriving despite a few frost & snow about 2 1/2 weeks ago. But I'm not sure if that is because they are already established... call a local greenhouse/gardening store & double check. Or if you want to plant them - just make sure you watch the weather & cover them w/ a blanket or sheet at night to protect them from frost. But next year when they are established - they should be fine.

The cold weather plants (broccoli, sprouts, potatoes, onion, lettus, ect) are safe to put in now & actually they sometimes perfure to be planted now & don't need the protection from frost, just hard freezes.

Good luck on the garden - they can be fun & educational even for kids. Plus, there is nothing better then eating something you grew (and canned) yourself!

My mom has the frost date marked on her calendar...April 28. Just listen for any frost advisories if you do decide to plant now. My mom did plant her lettuce and herbs 2 days ago.
Good Luck

It depends on the type of veggie. Some are frost tolerant/like cold weather (e.g. lettuce). In southern Ohio with rule of thumb is to wait until mother's day.

here is a site for planting info in IL - http://www.chicagobotanic.org/plantinfoservice/ . you can contact them for additional information :)

Yes, it's still too cold. Wait at least a couple more weeks. I forgot my tomatoe plants outside overnight and frost hit and almost killed them. The rule of thumb is Memorial Day weekend, but I usually plant them the weekend before.

you would be better off planting them in the day time.