Guides · 6 min read
Short-season Midwest: Chicago and zone 5–6
Last frost in mid-April. First frost in mid-October. That is the whole argument.
Count the weeks
Chicago sits in USDA zone 6a on the 2023 map. Typical last spring frost is the third week of April; first fall frost is mid-October. That is roughly 180 frost-free days — plenty for tomatoes if you start them indoors, not plenty if you sow a 90-day heirloom in June.
Choose Early Girl, cherry types, and peppers that set in cool nights (Hungarian Hot Wax, shishito). Leave Brandywine for people with a greenhouse.
The two seasons
Spring: peas, spinach, lettuce, radish, kale. Summer: tomatoes, beans, basil, squash, zinnias. Late August: sow greens again. October: garlic. That rotation is the whole Midwest vegetable year.
A heat mat in March is more useful than a fifth tomato variety.
Match your ZIP · Shop a kit · Start dates
The sow list
A note when it is time to sow
Seasonal, not daily. We will send what to start in your zone, and skip the rest of the year.
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A first garden that actually finishes
Six crops, one 4×8 bed, and the mistakes that waste a spring.
Seeds for containers, balconies, and rented light
Renters now out-buy homeowners on vegetable and herb seed. The packets have to match the pot.
How to start seeds indoors without a greenhouse
Heat, light, and a tray you will not throw away. The rest is optional.