When to plant Swiss chard in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States
Swiss chard can be planted after April 29, when air temperature is consistently in a range between 20°F and 80°F and soil temperature is above 45°F.
Growing Swiss chard in DeKalb County
Days suitable for growing Swiss chard in DeKalb County, Illinois
DeKalb County has on average 62 days, suitable for growing Swiss chard. Swiss chard needs on average between 50 and 60 days to mature and produce harvest. With 62 days suitable for growing, you can expect good harvest without too much effort if all planting activities are done in timely manner.
Swiss chard seeds can be planted between April 29 and May 10. Planting before April 29 without any additional protection is not advised because cold streaks can damage or kill off young plant. When planting after May 10, Swiss chard will not have enough time to mature and produce harvest.
Growing season extention
In order to maximize chances for a good harvest of Swiss chard in DeKalb County, some extra steps can be taken to extend growing season.
Start seeds indoors
When starting seeds indoors, it is possible to guarantee best possible conditions for young seedlings. Consistent temperature range, adequate watering and ample light (natural, supplemented with artifitial grow lights) will ensure you have strong and healthy seedlings just in time for transplanting into soil.
It takes 42 days on average for Swiss chard to sprout, and grow big enough to be ready for transplanting.
DeKalb County has 2 distinct seasons for growing Swiss chard
In order to get plants ready for April 29 seeds should be started indoors bwetween March 18 and April 30
Seeds started after April 30 are not likely to mature and produce harvest.
Swiss chard needs on average between 50 and 60 days to mature and produce harvest. With 62 suitable for growth, you can expect good harvest without too much effort if all planting activities are done in timely manner.
In order to get plants ready for August 30 seeds should be started indoors bwetween July 19 and August 17
Seeds started after August 17 are not likely to mature and produce harvest.
This Swiss chard growing season in DeKalb County is quite short, with only 48 days suitable for growth so it is really important to time your planting activities, and choose varieties with shorter time to harvest requirements.
Use a cold frame
When using a cold frame in a beggining of growing season You can protect young plants from possible temperature drops, this way growing season can start up to 2 weeks earlier.
Use an additional shading
On days, when air temperatures are expected to raise above 80°F, which is in top of tolerable range for Swiss chard, consider using additional shading to prevent heat shock.
| Total frost free days | 161 |
| Last frost expected date | May 10 |
| First frost expected date | October 18 |
| Dates with ideal conditions | May 15 to May 16 (2 days) May 19 to June 02 (15 days) June 08 June 12 to June 13 (2 days) June 15 to June 16 (2 days) September 08 to September 09 (2 days) September 11 to September 16 (6 days) September 18 to September 19 (2 days) September 21 to October 04 (14 days) October 10 to October 11 (2 days) |
| Dates with suitable conditions | April 08 April 13 April 24 April 29 to June 29 (62 days) July 01 to July 03 (3 days) July 06 to July 18 (13 days) July 21 to July 25 (5 days) July 29 to August 02 (5 days) August 04 to August 22 (19 days) August 26 August 30 to October 16 (48 days) October 19 to October 27 (9 days) November 10 |
| Total days ideal for growing Swiss chard in DeKalb County | 48 |
| Total days suitable for growing Swiss chard in DeKalb County | 169 |
| Days needed for Swiss chard to mature and produce harvest | 50 - 60 |
| Seed can be planted directly into soil | yes |
Notable temperature facts for growing Swiss chard in DeKalb County, Illinois
Table with days suitable to grow vegetables in DeKalb County, Illinois
Tolerable temperature range for Swiss chard: 20°F to 80°F
| Week | Average temperature | Possible min and max temperature | Suitable for Swiss chard | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | January 01 - January 03 | 23°F to 36°F | -7°F to 47°F | TRUE |
| 2 | January 04 - January 10 | 22°F to 35°F | -7°F to 51°F | TRUE |
| 3 | January 11 - January 17 | 24°F to 35°F | -3°F to 49°F | TRUE |
| 4 | January 18 - January 24 | 17°F to 30°F | -5°F to 41°F | |
| 5 | January 25 - January 31 | 10°F to 24°F | -29°F to 35°F | |
| 6 | February 01 - February 07 | 17°F to 32°F | -10°F to 48°F | |
| 7 | February 08 - February 14 | 16°F to 30°F | -10°F to 52°F | |
| 8 | February 15 - February 21 | 17°F to 34°F | -6°F to 52°F | |
| 9 | February 22 - February 28 | 24°F to 38°F | 6°F to 55°F | TRUE |
| 10 | March 01 - March 07 | 25°F to 44°F | -3°F to 62°F | TRUE |
| 11 | March 08 - March 14 | 31°F to 47°F | 11°F to 64°F | TRUE |
| 12 | March 15 - March 21 | 31°F to 48°F | 14°F to 67°F | TRUE |
| 13 | March 22 - March 28 | 34°F to 49°F | 22°F to 61°F | TRUE |
| 14 | March 29 - April 04 | 34°F to 53°F | 24°F to 69°F | TRUE |
| 15 | April 05 - April 11 | 41°F to 59°F | 29°F to 74°F | TRUE |
| 16 | April 12 - April 18 | 37°F to 56°F | 23°F to 75°F | TRUE |
| 17 | April 19 - April 25 | 40°F to 58°F | 27°F to 76°F | TRUE |
| 18 | April 26 - May 02 | 42°F to 60°F | 28°F to 78°F | TRUE |
| 19 | May 03 - May 09 | 44°F to 62°F | 34°F to 79°F | TRUE |
| 20 | May 10 - May 16 | 48°F to 66°F | 29°F to 83°F | TRUE |
| 21 | May 17 - May 23 | 52°F to 69°F | 43°F to 79°F | TRUE |
| 22 | May 24 - May 30 | 55°F to 72°F | 40°F to 82°F | TRUE |
| 23 | May 31 - June 06 | 58°F to 76°F | 46°F to 85°F | TRUE |
| 24 | June 07 - June 13 | 57°F to 76°F | 45°F to 88°F | TRUE |
| 25 | June 14 - June 20 | 58°F to 77°F | 49°F to 88°F | TRUE |
| 26 | June 21 - June 27 | 62°F to 78°F | 50°F to 88°F | TRUE |
| 27 | June 28 - July 04 | 64°F to 80°F | 54°F to 84°F | TRUE |
| 28 | July 05 - July 11 | 64°F to 79°F | 54°F to 85°F | TRUE |
| 29 | July 12 - July 18 | 63°F to 77°F | 56°F to 83°F | TRUE |
| 30 | July 19 - July 25 | 64°F to 80°F | 56°F to 86°F | TRUE |
| 31 | July 26 - August 01 | 64°F to 80°F | 53°F to 88°F | TRUE |
| 32 | August 02 - August 08 | 62°F to 78°F | 52°F to 87°F | TRUE |
| 33 | August 09 - August 15 | 62°F to 77°F | 55°F to 84°F | TRUE |
| 34 | August 16 - August 22 | 61°F to 78°F | 54°F to 87°F | TRUE |
| 35 | August 23 - August 29 | 64°F to 80°F | 54°F to 91°F | TRUE |
| 36 | August 30 - September 05 | 60°F to 77°F | 50°F to 87°F | TRUE |
| 37 | September 06 - September 12 | 59°F to 74°F | 52°F to 84°F | TRUE |
| 38 | September 13 - September 19 | 58°F to 74°F | 48°F to 84°F | TRUE |
| 39 | September 20 - September 26 | 56°F to 71°F | 42°F to 85°F | TRUE |
| 40 | September 27 - October 03 | 54°F to 69°F | 39°F to 83°F | TRUE |
| 41 | October 04 - October 10 | 49°F to 64°F | 34°F to 76°F | TRUE |
| 42 | October 11 - October 17 | 45°F to 59°F | 34°F to 73°F | TRUE |
| 43 | October 18 - October 24 | 43°F to 60°F | 31°F to 74°F | TRUE |
| 44 | October 25 - October 31 | 39°F to 50°F | 28°F to 68°F | TRUE |
| 45 | November 01 - November 07 | 36°F to 54°F | 18°F to 68°F | TRUE |
| 46 | November 08 - November 14 | 36°F to 50°F | 5°F to 70°F | TRUE |
| 47 | November 15 - November 21 | 32°F to 45°F | 15°F to 62°F | TRUE |
| 48 | November 22 - November 28 | 30°F to 43°F | 14°F to 53°F | TRUE |
| 49 | November 29 - December 05 | 29°F to 43°F | 19°F to 55°F | TRUE |
| 50 | December 06 - December 12 | 29°F to 41°F | 14°F to 56°F | TRUE |
| 51 | December 13 - December 19 | 27°F to 38°F | 11°F to 63°F | TRUE |
| 52 | December 20 - December 26 | 26°F to 40°F | -9°F to 55°F | TRUE |
| 53 | December 27 - December 31 | 27°F to 40°F | 6°F to 56°F | TRUE |
Days with suitable temperature for growing Swiss chard in DeKalb County, Illinois
All data is provided “as is” without warranty or any representation of accuracy, timeliness or completeness.
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Average daily temperatures were calculated using
