Is June Too Late to Plant Vegetables in the North?
I just moved to a new house in Chicago area and want to plant a vegetable garden. Is June too late to plant and still get something to harvest before the fall frost?
There is still plenty of time to plant. Select vegetables that will reach maturity and produce before the first killing frost. The date of the first fall frost varies from year to year and throughout the area. Gardens near Lake Michigan are the last to suffer a killing frost. Those growing in low spots or away from the lake are the first to be damaged. The first frost usually occurs around October 14th in the Chicago area, a week earlier for most of northern Illinois, and about that time in central Illinois and a week later southern Illinois. Late plantings can be started from plants or seeds. Simply subtract the days needed for the plants to grow and produce (usually listed on the seed packet or plant tag) from the remaining days in the season. Now add at least 2 weeks for harvesting. If the growing time needed is shorter than the days left in the season you can add these to the garden.
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