When to Plant Radishes in Sterling, IL

Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to figure out your garden schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

By reviewing the USDA zone info for Sterling you should be able to figure out when it's a good idea to plant radishes.


Planting Calendar for Radishes

Frost tolerance for radishes: Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant: Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

Radishes do well in cold which tells us that you can start planting them much earlier than plants that are more sensitive to the cold.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant radishes
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant radishes
Probably not a good time to plant radishes

The earliest that you can plant radishes in Sterling is February. However, you really should wait until March if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant radishes and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your radishes may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your radishes indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on April 15 in Sterling. You should expect an average low temperature of -15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Just be sure to remember that USDA zone info for Sterling may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Sterling you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so make sure that you are ready to protect your radishes in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Sterling

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)October 15
Lowest Expected Low-15°F
Highest Expected Low-10°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -15°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -10°F.

Plants to Grow in Sterling

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Sterling.