Barley · Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States
When to plant barley in Hoffman Estates
Main outdoor window
5-26 Apr
A climate estimate. Check your soil, forecast and cultivar.
Timed from last spring frost
26 April
In Hoffman Estates, on your chosen risk.
Ready to pick
4 Jul - 3 Aug
If you plant at the start of the window.
The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.
Step by step in Hoffman Estates
Download these planting dates (.ics)
Import into Apple Calendar, Google Calendar or Outlook. Dates use the selected risk level and are planning estimates, not frost alerts.
Each window is a planning range. Check the forecast, soil and cultivar before planting; a later date is not automatically safer in hot or wet conditions.
Sow direct
5-26 Apr
Three weeks before your last frost.
Harvest
4 Jul - 3 Aug
Barley through the year
Against the frost risk in Hoffman Estates
Seasonal context
Rainfall and the growing season in Hoffman Estates
May has the highest average precipitation (121 mm); January has the lowest (44 mm). Compare this pattern with the planting windows and your water supply.
During wetter months, check that beds and containers drain after heavy rain. During drier months, plan how you will keep seeds and new transplants watered. Monthly averages can hide long dry spells and intense storms; they do not show soil moisture, humidity or this week's weather.
Source: NASA POWER, corrected MERRA-2 precipitation, 2001–2020. Values are approximate monthly totals, including the water equivalent of snow, from the nearest 0.5° × 0.625° grid cell. This reference period differs from the temperature record. Rainfall provides context and does not change the calculated planting dates. Method and limitations.
Monthly growing conditions in Hoffman Estates
Compare the planting window with the local temperature pattern. These are historical monthly averages, not this year's forecast or measured soil temperatures. Average frost days do not tell you whether a particular night will freeze.
| Month | Average low | Average high | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | -9.8°C (14.4°F)14.4°F (-9.8°C) | -1.5°C (29.3°F)29.3°F (-1.5°C) | 29.4 |
| February | -8.2°C (17.3°F)17.3°F (-8.2°C) | 1.1°C (33.9°F)33.9°F (1.1°C) | 26.6 |
| March | -2.4°C (27.6°F)27.6°F (-2.4°C) | 7.7°C (45.9°F)45.9°F (7.7°C) | 23.1 |
| April | 2.6°C (36.7°F)36.7°F (2.6°C) | 14.5°C (58.1°F)58.1°F (14.5°C) | 8.7 |
| May | 8.8°C (47.8°F)47.8°F (8.8°C) | 20.7°C (69.3°F)69.3°F (20.7°C) | 0.3 |
| June | 14.7°C (58.5°F)58.5°F (14.7°C) | 26.3°C (79.3°F)79.3°F (26.3°C) | 0.0 |
| July | 17.6°C (63.8°F)63.8°F (17.6°C) | 28.7°C (83.6°F)83.6°F (28.7°C) | 0.0 |
| August | 17.2°C (63°F)63°F (17.2°C) | 28.3°C (83°F)83°F (28.3°C) | 0.0 |
| September | 12.9°C (55.2°F)55.2°F (12.9°C) | 24.7°C (76.4°F)76.4°F (24.7°C) | 0.0 |
| October | 5.9°C (42.7°F)42.7°F (5.9°C) | 17°C (62.6°F)62.6°F (17°C) | 3.2 |
| November | -0.7°C (30.7°F)30.7°F (-0.7°C) | 8.4°C (47.2°F)47.2°F (8.4°C) | 18.0 |
| December | -6.3°C (20.6°F)20.6°F (-6.3°C) | 1.4°C (34.5°F)34.5°F (1.4°C) | 27.5 |
For barley, also check drainage, sunlight and cultivar requirements. See the rainfall context above; humidity, irrigation and local pest pressure are not calculated.
Local growing check
Before choosing barley for Hoffman Estates
- May is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 121 mm. Check how your own bed drains and plan watering around actual soil moisture; monthly rain totals are not an irrigation schedule.
The temperature and rainfall tables on this page show the underlying climate estimates. How these suitability checks work · Record what happens in your garden.
Before you plant barley
Use the calendar to plan ahead, then check the conditions in your own garden.
- Measure the soil at sowing depth. Aim for at least 4°C (39.2°F); the calendar estimates soil warmth from air temperatures and cannot measure your bed.
- Frost tolerance does not make saturated or frozen soil suitable for planting. Wait until the bed can be worked without smearing or compacting it.
- Use the maturity range on your seed packet when choosing a variety. Cold, short days and transplant stress can make harvest later than the calendar estimate.
Match barley type to the use you actually intend
Use a sunny, drained position with moderate fertility. Barley does not fix nitrogen, even when its residues improve soil cover and organic matter. If combined with a legume cover, record both components and plan how the mixture will be managed.
For a grain crop, allow ears to mature and plan drying, threshing and any hull removal. For cover, terminate before the stand interferes with the next crop. Keep the outcome measurable: cleaned grain or an adequately protected bed.
What to record this season
Did the selected barley reach the intended stage without delaying the next use of the bed? Add the cultivar, sowing date and conditions to your growing record so you can compare next season.
Further reading: NC State Extension: Hordeum vulgare . General crop guidance; local dates on this site are calculated separately. Source checked 19 September 2026 by Safe to Plant; this is not an expert review.
The reference describes plant identity and cultivation. Its regional calendar months and hardiness observations do not validate the calculated dates for another location.
How the dates are calculated and their limits · Keep a growing record · Report a local discrepancy
Why these dates
Use a sunny, drained position with moderate fertility. Barley does not fix nitrogen, even when its residues improve soil cover and organic matter. If combined with a legume cover, record both components and plan how the mixture will be managed.
Check the named variety and local forecast before exposing young growth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: plant age, acclimatisation, wind and the duration of a freeze affect damage.
This calendar uses frost-relative offsets as a starting point. Barley are timed for direct sowing 3 weeks before it, and this page simply resolves those offsets against the frost date computed for Hoffman Estates.
The median frost-free season here is 179 days, against 90 to 120 days to maturity for this crop counted from sowing. That margin is what decides whether a late sowing is worth attempting.
Nearby
Barley in places close by
Also in Hoffman Estates
Other grains to time
Growing barley in Hoffman Estates
Can I grow barley in Hoffman Estates?
The calendar estimates a planting window, not a guarantee of success. May is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 121 mm. Check how your own bed drains and plan watering around actual soil moisture; monthly rain totals are not an irrigation schedule.
When should I plant barley in Hoffman Estates?
Aim for 5-26 Apr in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 21 Apr - 12 May - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.
When might barley be ready to harvest in Hoffman Estates?
The estimated period is 4 Jul - 3 Aug, based on 90 to 120 days from the modeled planting date. Cultivar, planting material and growing conditions can change this interval; check the plant as well as the calendar.
How much frost will barley tolerate?
Check the named variety and local forecast before exposing young growth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: plant age, acclimatisation, wind and the duration of a freeze affect damage.